Two former military transport aircraft, the Transall C-160D, which served with the German Air Force until 2021, are set to take on an entirely new role. German company Total Aeronautical Services GmbH (TAS) is working to reactivate and convert them into firefighting aircraft capable of carrying up to 14 tonnes of water or fire retardant.

As Flug Revue reports, the project is already at an advanced stage, with preparations for the first test flights of the initial aircraft currently underway. Germany’s Federal Aviation Office (LBA) and the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) are also involved in supporting the project.

The first aircraft has already received the civilian registration D-AMJT and is expected to become the first Transall C-160 to take off in Germany under a civilian registration. Rather than returning to its former transport duties, the aircraft is being developed as a firefighting platform intended primarily for operations in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.

At the heart of the conversion is a specially developed tank installed inside the cargo compartment. The system, produced by Australian company Helitak Firefighting Equipment, can carry up to 14,000 kilograms of water or fire retardant, with a stated discharge rate of up to 3,000 litres per second.

Refilling the entire tank on the ground is expected to take around three minutes. The water is not released through the Transall’s rear cargo ramp, but through a dedicated system on the underside of the fuselage, close to the aircraft’s centre of gravity. This arrangement is intended to reduce structural loads during the rapid release of such a large quantity of liquid. Following the conversion, the aircraft will no longer have a pressurised cabin.

The concept has already been put into practice. Three former German Transalls were transferred to Australia in 2023, where Machjet International and Transall Tankers are developing them for firefighting operations. The first of these aircraft, former Luftwaffe 50+55 and now registered VH-TIT, began certification testing for its new role with Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) in autumn 2025.

According to information reported by Flug Revue, the second Australian C-160D has also since received its firefighting tank and begun ground testing.

The aircraft destined for both Australia and Europe are owned by Australian company Machjet International, while TAS is responsible for implementing the project in Germany. Former Transall mechanics from the German Air Force’s former Air Transport Wings 61, 62 and 63 are also involved in the conversion programme. Austrian company Wings of Raven is supporting the German certification process.

No firm date has yet been announced for D-AMJT’s first test flight. TAS Managing Director Maren Reese said several smaller technical issues still need to be resolved, but the goal is to have the first fully operational aircraft ready for the 2027 firefighting season.

In its new role, the Transall could become one of the highest-capacity firefighting aircraft operating in Europe. With a 14-tonne tank, it would significantly exceed the capacity of most dedicated firefighting aircraft currently used on the continent, while Flug Revue notes that the Airbus A400M is currently the only firefighting platform in Europe capable of carrying more.

The former German military aircraft also possess another unusual advantage. During their service with the Bundeswehr, some Transalls were fitted with Kevlar ballistic protection beneath the cockpit and the forward section of the cargo compartment, intended to protect the aircraft during operations in crisis areas.

TAS sees this feature as particularly valuable in the aircraft’s new role. Thanks to the additional protection, the C-160D could potentially be deployed against fires in areas contaminated with unexploded ordnance, where explosions triggered by fire could pose an additional threat to aircraft and crews.

The Transall C-160 was one of the defining aircraft of German military transport aviation for more than half a century. The first German examples entered service in 1968, with the Luftwaffe ultimately operating a total of 110 aircraft. The final Transalls were retired at the end of 2021 after 53 years of service.

If the conversion programme is completed successfully, two of these retired transport aircraft could return to European skies as early as next summer — no longer carrying troops and cargo, but instead joining the fight against increasingly frequent and severe wildfires.