This is AIRCORE Remotely Operated Fire Extinguishing System, Magirus Group’s answer to combating dangerous fire, such as fire with threat of explosion. This futuristic vehicle here is indeed a fire truck. But it is no ordinary fire fighting vehicle, it is a turbine-assisted fight fighting robot. It is remotely manned by a single operator from up to 500 meters (1,640 feet) away and it has two modes of fire fighting: high water flow and water mist modes.
The high water flow mode pushes out 3,500L (925 gallons) a minute and up to a distance of 80 meters (approximately 262 feet), while the water mist mode is capable of sending up to 1,500L (396 gallons) per minute and up to 60 meters (about 197 feet). And the best part? It can continuously attack the fire as it moves. In addition to being an aid in sending water downrange, the turbine fan within its cannon-like contraption can help to clear out smoke if the situation calls for it.
It is compact, measuring a little under 3 meters (less than 9.8 feet) long and 1.62 meters (5.3 feet) wide, and it rolls on track, thus allowing it to access tight spaces to fight fire and over unforgiving terrains. As you can see, it is even equipped with a bulldozer blade to remove obstacles that may be in its way. The water cannon can be articulated to a height of up to 4 meters (13 feet) and tilt between -20 and 50-degree to deal with fire that are on varying heights.
It is powered by a 65 HP water-cooled motor that would allow it an operation time of around 5-7 hours on a single tank, travel up to 9 km/h, and tackle up to 30-degree incline and 15-degree side inclination. An onboard pump allows water to be push at 2 Mpa (or 20 bar, or 290 psi). Like a proper fire truck, AIRCORE can handle a variety of fire suppressing fluid, including fire suppression foam.
The idea of using turbine to fight fire isn’t new. There is at least one out there (remember the tank with MiG-21 fighter jet engines? Yeah, that). Have a look of the AIRCORE Remotely Operated Fire Extinguishing System in action in the videos below.
Images: Magirus Group/YouTube.
