EANS-News: PANTHER 8x8 is Taking Off / New fire fighting vehicle with outstanding features for the largest airports in the world - IMAGE

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Corporate news transmitted by euro adhoc with the aim of a Europe-wide
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New Products

Leonding -

* Performance-optimized high-end vehicle with new pump and cab
* Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle and Dubai International Airport will receive the
  first vehicles
* Vienna Airport is renewing its entire fleet of firefighting vehicles on the
  airfield

The PANTHER 8x8 is the most powerful aircraft rescue and fire fighting vehicle
from Rosenbauer. It is used at major international airports which operate
aircraft such as the Airbus A380, and airports which have special requirements
on acceleration, maximum speed, and fire extinguishing capacity of fire
fighting vehicles due to the geographical dimensions. The flagship of the
PANTHER series protects many of the major aviation hubs in Europe for example,
such as the two Parisian airports Orly and Charles de Gaulle, the German hubs
in Berlin and Düsseldorf as well as the airports in Athens, Geneva, Moscow,
Oslo, and Prague, to name but a few.

Internationally, the PANTHER 8x8 has a particularly strong presence in Asia and
the Arab world. Beijing, the world's largest airport by volume of passengers,
operates several vehicles, as do Shanghai-Pudong, Guangzhou, and Hongkong. In
India, 8x8 vehicles are stationed at New-Delhi Airport, while other large 8x8
fleets are also located at airports in Japan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman.
And in Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban, Rosenbauer's flagship has been in
operation for years.

Power, Safety, Comfort In 1992, the first PANTHER 8x8 was put into service at
Geneva Airport. Today, it is in its fourth generation. Just like the new
PANTHER 4x4 and 6x6, which have been on the market for two years, the new
PANTHER 8x8 has also been improved in three main aspects: It has a higher
driving and extinguishing performance, offers the occupants more safety, and is
more comfortable and accurate than its predecessor model. All this in a vehicle
whose chassis, bodywork, firefighting equipment, and electronics are made by a
single manufacturer. The first vehicles of the new generation will be delivered
to Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle, Dubai International Airport, and Vienna-Schwechat.

Improved Driving Dynamics A PANTHER 8x8 weighs up to 52 t and has up to 19,000
l of extinguishing agent on board. It is able to sprint across the airfield in
the required time thanks to its two 700 hp strong Euro 5 engines. Optionally,
the new PANTHER 8x8 can also be equipped with more powerful Euro 6 engines.

Together, they accelerate the power house from 0 to 80 km/h in considerably
less than 25 seconds, and provide a top speed of more than 135 km/h. If the
engines are decoupled, then one engine drives the wheels while the other drives
the pump for pump-and-roll operation. A reworked drive concept allows for
shorter switching times from pump-and-roll operation back into driving mode
(both engines). Due to the modified weight and axle load distribution and a
reduction in the overall center of gravity, the vehicle's dynamics and
stability were also further improved.

Stronger Pump At the heart of its extinguishing technology, the PANTHER 8x8
incorporates the new N110 industrial supply pump. It features optimized pump
drive and delivers over 10,000 liters of water per minute at 10 bar. For the
application of extinguishing agent, monitors are available in various
performance classes, including the new RM80 roof turret with an output rate of
up to 9,000 l/min and a throw range of 100 m for water and 90 m for foam
operations, as well as the new RM35 with up to 4,750 l/min and throwing
distances of 85 m (water) and 76 m (foam).

In order to be able to combat fires at or near ground level (landing gear and
jet engines), the RM35 can be mounted on a swiveling bumper boom turret, which
is installed in the underride protection. For firefighting from an elevated
position, the PANTHER 8x8 can be equipped with the STINGER boom, which can be
erected to heights of up to 16 or 20 m.

Improved Occupant Protection The crew is well protected in the new PANTHER
cabin, as has been successfully demonstrated in crash tests carried out in
accordance with ECE R29/3. The cabin also offers the occupants more room and
storage space as well as an improved view to the outside thanks to the larger
glass surfaces, slimmer A-pillar, and narrower control and instrument panel.

For modern comfort in the cabin, a new cab suspension provides better
decoupling of underground movements. And even the pump is now further decoupled
from the pumping box in the new PANTHER 8x8, so that any vibrations transmitted
to adjacent components, e.g., in pump-and-roll mode, are kept to a minimum.

Complete Switchover in Vienna Vienna-Schwechat, Austria's largest airport, will
replace its entire ARFF fleet and will exclusively operate Rosenbauer vehicles
on the airfield in the future. In addition to the E8000/E3000 escape stair
which is already in use, two PANTHER 6x6 S will be commissioned by the end of
the year, with which the airport fire department can also access public roads
and the marshy area which is part of the operational range. In the coming year,
four new PANTHER 8x8s will be added, giving Vienna Airport the world's most
modern fleet of airport extinguishing and rescue vehicles.

Further inquiry note:
Rosenbauer International AG
Ms Gerda Königstorfer,

Head of Corporate Communications / IR, Company Spokesperson

Paschinger Strasse 90, 4060 Leonding, Austria
Tel.: +43 732 67 94-568 
E-mail: [email protected]

end of announcement euro adhoc
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Pictures with Announcement:

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http://resources.euroadhoc.com/images/11/5/10021694/PANTHER8x8new_1__A.jpg

issuer:       Rosenbauer International AG Paschingerstrasse 90 A-4060 Leonding
phone:        +43(0)732 6794 568
FAX:          +43(0)732 6794 89
mail:         [email protected]
WWW:          www.rosenbauer.com
ISIN:         AT0000922554
indexes:      WBI
stockmarkets: Wien, Berlin, Stuttgart
language:     English

ORIGINAL APA-OTS TEXT - THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE IS SUBJECT TO THE EXCLUSIVE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE ISSUER | CNE

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