The Modular Technology series (MT for short) presented in October 2020 enables a very wide range of applications due to its modular design. In addition to its use in the municipal and industrial sectors, it can also be used to represent airport rescue and firefighting vehicles in a wide variety of configurations, just like its predecessor, the CBS system. The MT Airport BUFFALO concept comprises 2- and 3-axle aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicles (ARFF) with 2,500 to 11,000 l extinguishing agent tank capacity, depending on the chassis, equipment, and crew.
But what exactly makes the MT Airport BUFFALO an ARFF?
In addition to continuous all-wheel drive and single tires, the vehicles must also have a high ground clearance for excellent off-road capability in order to be fully functional off the paved runway in an emergency. A low body height and a correspondingly low center of gravity improve the driving characteristics in rough terrain. A high engine power and an automatic transmission are not only required for high acceleration and top speeds, they also enable the extinguishing agent to be dispensed while driving slowly, i.e., the pump & roll function. In order to be able to use this function without limitations, powerful firefighting equipment must be installed and the extinguishing agent turret must be controllable remotely from the driver’s cab.
Many of these requirements concern the chassis of the ARFF.
The vehicle shown was built on a Mercedes Benz Zetros 3348 6×6 and has 6100 l of water and 750 l of foam compound on board. The extinguishing agent can be output thanks to the powerful N35 firefighting pump with a capacity of 3,500 l/min and the two state-of-the-art RM35C and RM15C turrets with a throw range of up to 70 m. The FIXMIX 2.0 around-the-pump foam proportioning system provides the required water-foam mixture. Together with 250 kg of dry powder, this makes it a powerful ARFF.
Due to its properties, the Mercedes Benz Zetros chassis is ideal for the MT Airport BUFFALO. The design as a cab-over vehicle enables a low overall height and a low center of gravity with great off-road capability, as the driver’s cab sits behind the engine instead of over it as in conventional chassis. In addition to these practical features, the cab-over chassis also contributes to the vehicle’s imposing appearance.
Of course, the MT Airport BUFFALO can also be mounted on other series chassis, which has the advantage of a vehicle width of max. 2550 mm. This means that, in an emergency, the vehicles can also travel to a deployment outside the airport on public roads without any problems, or be called in for fire-fighting assistance on vegetation and forest fires.
Rosenbauer BUFFALOs, whether CBS or MT type, are used all over the world. Due to the flexibility of the body concept, the vehicles can be designed as compact rapid intervention vehicles (RIVs) or as aircraft rescue and fire fighting vehicles (ARFFs) in accordance with the relevant directives and standards.
Technical data
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