The French defense procurement agency (DGA) has tested airdropping commando marine craft from an A400M military transport plane, validating the capability with the aircraft.
A release system, called the Ecume AirDrop System, allowed the boats to be parachuted from the Airbus aircraft.
The system is already operational with the French Air Force’s C-130H and C-130H-30 aircraft.
The capability with another aircraft will support the quick deployment of French marine commandos in distant areas.
Apart from being airdropped, the craft, called the Ecume (Embarkable Multi-Purpose Commando Craft), can be carried onboard naval vessels.
Manufactured by the French firm Zodiac Milpro, the boat can sail at a top speed of 45 knots (83 kilometers/51 miles per hour).
How the System Was Prepared
Following initial tests at the end of 2024, the DGA was told to improve the system’s packaging without major modifications and rely on equipment available within the armed forces.
Within six weeks, experts from DGA Aerospace Technology, with the participation of DGA Flight Tests, redesigned and modified the system.
The flight test was preceded by numerical simulations and ground tests, validating the packaging.
“This test, conducted jointly with the French Navy, the Air and Space Force, and the Army, validated the operation of the solution being tested and will enable the operational capability of dropping the Ecume from the A400M to be opened,” a DGA press release stated.
