A French startup flew a pre-modification ATR72 over Toulouse on September 1, 2026, the opening sortie for a converted firefighting platform it aims to certify in 2027 with a 7,500-liter water capacity — slightly above the 6,000 liters carried by the Canadair C-415 and below the planned CL-515.

Kepplair Evolution, founded by David Joubert, is developing the KEPPLAIR72 "Forest Keeper," a multi-role conversion of the ATR72-500 or -600 that operators can reconfigure for medical evacuation or tactical transport within days. The core is KEDS — the Kepplair Evolution Delivery System — built by drop-system specialist Trotter Controls with input from the Toulouse Institute of Fluid Mechanics.

Why an ATR72?

The choice reflects both airframe availability and mission economics. Joubert argues that used ATR72s will keep entering the second-hand market as regional operators retire early-generation examples in favor of newer ATRs, giving Kepplair a steady pool of donor aircraft. He stressed to AeroTime that the company operates independently of ATR and described the airframer's posture as soutien bienveillant — supportive.

Operators refill the tanks in roughly four minutes from a mobile pump, a fixed pump or a fire truck, and complete the full landing-refill-takeoff cycle in under ten minutes, according to Joubert. No scooping training is required, which the company says cuts operating costs.

What is the certification route?

Rather than pursue a fresh type certificate, Kepplair is targeting a Supplemental Type Certificate through AeroTec, which the company cites as the European MRO with the highest STC count. Lessor ACIA-Aero supplied the first ATR72 airframe. AeroTec has begun the modification work in advance of flight tests scheduled before the end of 2026 at a dedicated range in Provence.

"We can complete the whole development program for less than €50 million," Joubert told AeroTime. Kepplair is roughly halfway to that target after closing a €6 million ($7 million) Series A on September 8, 2026, bringing total funding to €17.5 million ($20.3 million). Private investors contributed €12.5 million; the Occitanie region added €5 million in public funds.

Who is watching the program?

France's Directorate General for Civil Security and Crisis Management has signed an MoU to evaluate the Forest Keeper but has placed no order. Kepplair says operators in France and overseas have signed MoUs covering at least 22 aircraft. In July 2026, Corsica Technics, an MRO firm based on Corsica, signed a letter of intent for 10 KEDS kits to fit future ATR conversions.

How big could the market be?

Joubert sizes the ten-year global need at roughly 400 firefighting aircraft and is targeting 25% of that — about 100 airframes. That share would still leave the Forest Keeper a niche product, but it would be the only new mid-sized aerial platform available in 2027 if the schedule holds.

When do competitors arrive?

Europe's existing fleet depends on aging Canadair CL-415 amphibians. De Havilland Canada's DHC-515 replacement is in development, but a 22-aircraft RescEu order placed by the EU and several member states in 2024 has already absorbed most early production slots. New DHC-515 orders now face a four-to-five-year backlog. Clean-sheet rivals, including the Airbus-backed Hynaero amphibian, are unlikely to reach the market before the early 2030s.

"We are here to complement all other platforms," Joubert said.

If Kepplair holds to early 2027 and captures even a fraction of its 100-aircraft ambition, the Toulouse startup will have inserted a regional turboprop into a market that, until now, has had no new mid-capacity option on the near horizon.