Kepplair to certify first reversible ATR 72F water bomber conversion next year

Toulouse, France-based Kepplair Evolution is targeting a 2027 entry into service for its water bomber conversion of the ATR 72 freighter platform, pending European Union Aviation Safety Agency certification. The multipurpose conversion — dubbed the Kepplair 72 — modifies ATR 72 freighters into aircraft capable of carrying out firefighting, humanitarian support, medical evacuation and cargo flights, David Joubert, Chief Executive of Kepplair Evolution, told Cargo Facts . [caption id="attachment_57299092" align="aligncenter" width="1493"] A rendering of the Kepplair 72. (Courtesy/Kepplair Evolution)[/caption] The ATR 72 provides a strong basis for the conversion program because it is already widely operated, Joubert said. The aircraft offers a suitable payload capability, low fuel consumption, the ability to operate from regional airports with short and unpaved runways, a large worldwide installed fleet and an established MRO ecosystem, he added. The type is also still in production and the conversion project benefits from a growing pool of mid-life aircraft ready for a second act, Joubert said. There were more than 100 ATR 72 freighters in operation worldwide as of Aug. 31, according to Cargo Facts Consulting. ATR 72s in the passenger configuration will need to first undergo freighter modification — specifically the implementation of the IPR Conversions large-cargo-door STC — before conversion into the firefighting Kepplair 72, both Joubert and Gilles Collaveri, business development director at ATR, confirmed to Cargo Facts . Because the water tanks in the cabin of the converted Kepplair 72 are removable, the Kepplair conversion will be attractive to operators that could use its freighter configuration outside wildfire season, Michael Bernier, crisis communications consultant at France-based MB3C Consulting, told Cargo Facts . Kepplair sees demand for the Kepplair 72 in Europe, North America, South America, Indonesia and Australia, Joubert said. The 1995-vintage prototype (463, ex-Solenta Aviation) is being converted by Aerotec and Concept in Toulouse (TLS). It completed test flights on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 after arriving at TLS on Aug. 4. “We are dry leasing the aircraft to Kepplair 72,” Paul Hurst, group managing director of Solenta Aviation, told Cargo Facts. “We are proud to play a small part in this exciting and extremely important project.” Aerotec and Concept declined to comment on the conversion program. About 250 ATR 72s could become conversion candidates over the next ten years, Joubert said. While ATR itself has provided data to Kepplair to assist the conversion program’s development, ATR is not a partner on the Kepplair 72 conversion program, ATR’s Collaveri said. Kepplair is targeting delivery of twelve Kepplair 72s each year beginning in 2030, Joubert added. Water, water everywhere A possible driver of demand for the conversion is a new law on the modernization of civil security, which is being discussed in the French government, MB3C Consulting’s Bernier said. Kepplair Evolution in April had said it received a letter of interest from the French Directorate General for Civil Protection and Crisis Management, confirming the program’s alignment with the needs of France’s aerial emergency response capabilities. That month, Kepplair Evolution also received a grant of 5 million Euros ($5.7 million) from the French government to support the conversion platform. However, the national authorities have not yet signed a firm order or commitment for the Kepplair 72, Bernier said. “Following the major wildfires this summer, all countries now want greater certainty regarding the aircraft’s certification status for wildfire suppression missions before making a commitment, including those primarily interested in its cargo capabilities,” he added. Cargo Facts Symposium 2026, the premier event for the freighter aircraft and air cargo industries, will take place in Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 21-23. Find out more and register here.

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