A quickie, inspired by this:
http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=9105.msg168473#msg168473_______________________________
A couple of press releases regarding the new Rosenbauer Thylacoleo Ultra Large Tracked Fire Vehicle (ULTFV). First, from the manufacturer:
https://www.rosenbauer.com/en/ca/rosenbauer-world/news/thylacoleo-delivered-to-airservices-australiaFirst THYLACOLEO ULTFV delivered to Airservices AustraliaThe ASA's THYLACOLEO Ultra Large Tracked Fire Vehicle
Airservices Australia (ASA) are now receiving heavy vehicles with the mobility to successfully battle Australia's bushfires. Having already built 90 PANTHER Ultra Large Fire Vehicle 6x6s, Rosenbauer is proud to be providing offroad THYLACOLEO Ultra Large Tracked Fire Vehicles (ULTFVs) to the Australian flight infrastructure company.
ULTFVs being delivered to ASA comply with the Australian Design Rules for motor vehicles. Compared with the earlier PANTHER, the THYLACOLEO is slightly reduced in size for greater off-road mobility. However, other than its tracked suspension, the THYLACOLEO is almost identical in construction to the wheeled PANTHER. For ASA, this has the advantage that substantial savings can be achieved when training fire fighters. If personnel are transferred from one vehicle type to another, only minimal re-training is required.
Technical data THYLACOLEO ULTFV Airservices AustraliaNext up, from Airservices Australia:
https://newsroom.airservicesaustralia.com/category/aviation-rescue-fire-fighting-thylacoleo-ultfvAirservices Ups its Game for Future Bushfire Response01 April 2020
Airservices Australia’s Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting Service (ARFFS) continues to assist with the bushfire emergency impacting on several states. Since mid-December 2019, we have offered support and resources to all states - this includes our fleet of Ultra Large Fire Vehicles.
As such, the ARFFS team is proud to welcome the Fire Fighting Truck Mk.9 - the first tracked vehicle in ARFF service. Provided by the same supplier as ARFFS' Mk.8 6x6 truck, the new Mk.9 is in the same weight - 30 tonnes when fully loaded with 10,000 litres of water and fire retardant foam. In day-to-day airport operations, the tracked Mk.9 complements the Mk.8 by offering off-tarmac fire fighting capabilities.
As an off-road vehicle, the Mk.9 truck - also known as the Thylacoleo Ultra Large Tracked Fire Vehicle - is ideally suited to fighting Austrlia's bushfires. When future calls for Mutual Aid from rural fire service are received at Airservices, our response will be: "No wucks!" Because we here at ARFFS are little Aussie battlers, not a bunch of bloody drongos! G'day.