Airbus signs MoU with Hynaero to assist in developing the Fregate-F100 waterbomber
March 15, 2025
Hynaero is developing the Fregate-F100 amphibious firefighter aircraft in order to provide a credible response to the critical challenge posed by wildfires.
Bordeaux-based Hynaero, supported by the New Aquitaine Region, and Bordeaux Technowest, is developing the Fregate-F100 in order to provide private and institutional operators with a modern aircraft that will meet the challenges of fighting increasingly large and frequent forest fires around the world. The company believes that only an amphibian, able to scoop water directly from stretches of water, will provide the autonomy of action and high sortie rate needed to attack and fix wildfires. Aircraft with lesser capacity and that need to be refilled on the ground do not allow a sufficiently rapid intervention rate, the company believes.
The Fregate-F100 has a payload capacity of 10 tonnes of water, and is capable of operating on the network of water bodies that are currently in use. It brings a real leap in capacity to existing amphibious waterbombers, while its modern design promises to deliver increased availability.
Airbus is proud of its Firefighting Ecosystem Ambition, which aims to foster the development of end-to-end firefighting solutions. The company’s C295 and A400M aircraft, helicopters, satellites and communications solutions can all play an essential role in reducing the risk of wildfires and in mitigating their impact once they have broken out. The company’s solutions include a state-of-the-art crisis management system (CMS) that enables a 360° situational awareness picture and provides scenario simulation. The system can help to detect fires at an early stage, monitor and analyse their progress, bring firefighters to the scene, help them extinguish fires in demanding environments, improve the co-ordination of all ground and aerial means and support life-saving operations.
The Fregate-F100 initiative presents an opportunity for Airbus to pioneer and support sustainable aerospace autonomous European capabilities, and to demonstrate its commitment to the exploitation of technological innovation to support environmental protection and civil security missions.
