The New Carmichael Cobra 3 Airport Firefighting and Rescue Vehicle

The United Kingdom’s most diverse manufacturer of firefighting and rescue vehicles Amdac Carmichael Limited was established from humble beginnings in Worcester (UK) in 1849. In 1947 it supplied its first fire-engine and under the leadership of various international companies Carmichael has established itself as a major force in the manufacture, supply and support of firefighting and crash rescue vehicles world-wide. Today the company continues to boast worldwide sales with its core fire-engine design, research and manufacturing facilities remaining in the City of Worcester UK.

Carmichael supplied their first major airport crash tender in 1962 and they have been at the forefront of ARFF vehicle design for over 50 years. For 30 years it used Jet Ranger as its ARFF vehicle brand but In 1992 it dropped the name with the introduction of a new range of airport firefighting vehicles each with a separate trading name: the 4×4 Condor, the 6×6 Cobra and the 8×8 Cougar.

Carmichael first introduced the prototype Cobra airport rescue and firefighting vehicle in 1992. Built exclusively on a Unipower RE6P 6×6 airfield firefighting vehicle chassis the prototype delivered to Glasgow Airport featured a unique Carmichael crew cab manufactured in steel which was superseded by a clean flowing purpose built crew safety cab design with wide opening doors; a modular steel and GRP top deck hamper, easy engine access and integrated high level emergency warning lights. The Cobra airport rescue and firefighting vehicle saw success in the UK, North Africa and the Middle East.

Building on the success of the Cobra 6×6 concept, in 1998 Carmichael launched the Cobra 2 which was available in 4×4, 6×6 and 8×8 configurations. The Cobra 2 introduced a new standard in crash tender design with its large crew safety cab, wide opening doors, low step entry, flat floor and multiple seating options. The Cobra 2 offered a variety of base chassis options which included the low profile Carmichael Cobra C2 chassis; plus a vast array of chassis options to meet individual customer specific requirements. The custom built Cobra C2 chassis available in 4×4, 6×6 and 8×8 configuration permitted individually tailored tenders with wide bodied options, extended wheel bases and a twin engines. It comes as no surprise to learn that the Cobra 2 went on to establish itself as one of the most successful airport crash tender designs of the 21st century with deliveries to date exceeding 120 units to customers as widespread as China, Kazakhstan and the Caribbean.

Carmichael chose the prestigious Interschutz 2015 international trade fair for fire prevention, protection, rescue and safety in Hannover Germany to show-case their stunning all new aerodynamic Cobra 3 major aerodrome firefighting and crash rescue vehicle. This prototype of the third generation of the Cobra ARFF vehicle has recently completed an extensive period of proof testing in the United Kingdom and is now being marketed in 4×4, 6×6 and 8×8 configuration. This stunning example of British fire-engineering is based on an all new purpose built Carmichael 6×6 low profile chassis, incorporating a Volvo Penta Euro 5 diesel engine, Twin Disc automatic transmission and ABS disc brakes. The Cobra 3 features this stunning and extremely spacious air-conditioned crew safety cab design approved to UNECE R29 standard. It has an unrestricted interior, flat floor and a light and airy interior. The large hinged crew cab doors and pneumatically operated steps permit easy crew access with various seating configurations for a driver and up to 5 crew plus sliding roof hatch access to the top deck. The British built top-hamper manufactured in polypropylene with GRP profiles has integral tanks carrying up to 12,000 litres of water and 1,700 litres of foam. The Cobra 3 can accommodate up to four spacious and useable lockers per side in a variety of layouts enclosed via a combination of either roller shutters, hinged or pantograph locker doors plus fixed or demountable dry chemical powder systems. The 3 continues to boasts easy engine access, an important feature for scheduled maintenance. The prototype illustrated has a GVW of 36,000 kg and acceleration of 0-80 kph within 30 seconds. The new 3 comes with a long list of chassis and fire engineering options including wide bodied, short width, extended wheel base and twin engine – to meet all customer requirements.

Another first for Carmichael at Interschutz 2015 was the launch of the British designed and manufactured High Reach Extendable Turret (HRET) as fitted to the prototype Cobra 3. The Jet Ranger resurrects a brand name formerly used by the company for all its major airport fire tender products. The Jet Ranger has a working height of 15.24 metres, reach of 11.40 metres and a monitor capable of delivering 6,000 lpm in the stowed position and 3,785 litres per minute deployed. A 20 metre option is also available.

For more information, go to www.amdac-carmichael.com