Aomori Airport Upgrades Emergency Response Fleet with Allison-equipped Vehicles

To address its aging fleet, Aomori Airport recently took delivery of the first Rosenbauer Panther 8x8 aircraft rescue fire fighting (ARFF) truck, equipped with two engines and two Allison 4800 automatic transmissions.

“When an aviation accident occurs, the first three minutes are vital,” said Keiji Kato, chief of Aomori Airport Fire Department. “The important thing is how quickly you can get to the aircraft and extinguish the fire, enabling passengers and crew to secure an evacuation route and sufficient time to evacuate.”

The Panther 8x8 offers driving performance, handling and fire extinguishing capability superior to comparable vehicles. With total vehicle weight of 43 tons, Allison's Continuous Power Technology™ works with two Volvo TAD 1662 VE engines to seamlessly enable the vehicle to reach 80 kph in no more than 25 seconds.

Allison transmissions use a torque converter to smoothly multiply engine torque, delivering more power to the wheels. By multiplying engine power, drivers get increased performance, faster acceleration and greater operational flexibility. Allison Automatics are globally recognized for their quality and reliability, resulting in a greater overall economic value.

The Panther 8x8 has the largest tank of any airport fire fighting vehicle with a capacity for 12,500 liters of water, 800 liters of chemical liquid and 300 kilograms of powder. It can discharge 6,000 liters per minute from the roof turret, which reaches up to 90 meters. Furthermore, 500 liters per minute can be discharged from the bumper turret, so the fire engine can be protected from ignition of oil leaking from the aircraft. The two Volvo engines and two Allison 4800 seven-speed automatic transmissions, two reverse speeds, with retarders make it possible to carry out fire fighting work while in motion.

“When they arrive at the site of an aircraft accident and discharge water, conventional chemically-equipped airport firefighting vehicles needed to stop, then restart by operating the Power Take-Off (PTO) switch, but the Panther 8x8 is able to begin extinguishing fires quicker because it can carry out fire fighting activities while in motion, following an accident-stricken aircraft that is still moving on the runway.”

The Panther 8x8 is recognized worldwide for meeting the stringent requirements of prominent airport safety organizations. Teikoku-seni Co., the Japanese distributor for Rosenbauer, expects the vehicle to be progressively adopted at more airports across Japan. (www.chinatrucks.com)

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