Continuous flow
The tank empties gradually to lay a long, even retardant line — the reference technique for containing a fire's progression.
KEPPLAIR 72 — Drop system
KEDS: drops controlled to the tenth of a second
The Kepplair Evolution Delivery System replaces traditional hydraulic circuits with a fully electric architecture, for a denser, more even and faster drop.
Two drop modes
Burst effect
The entire load is released in under 1.2 seconds, for maximum impact on a specific hot spot.
Why an electric architecture
Without a hydraulic circuit, KEDS gains in reliability and maintenance simplicity, while offering finer control over hatch opening: the drop footprint on the ground is more even and denser, reducing the number of passes needed to treat the same area — and therefore fuel burned per hectare treated.
Developed with IMFT and Trotter Controls
KEDS was born from a collaboration between Kepplair Evolution, professor Dominique Legendre and the Institut de Mécanique des Fluides de Toulouse (IMFT), joined by Trotter Controls — a company specialised in aerial drop systems — via a strategic agreement signed in March 2026 at the Aerial Firefighting Europe conference in Rome.
A patented technology since 2017
The electric drop principle that would become KEDS was first patented in 2017, five years after the founding meeting between David Joubert and professor Legendre in Toulouse.
See KEDS in action on the KEPPLAIR 72
Discover how KEDS fits into the KEPPLAIR 72's three missions: water bomber, cargo and medical evacuation.
Missions