Six crash trucks and 12 Allison fully automatic transmissions: Double the power for the Frankfurt airport fire brigade

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Six new FLF Z8 XXL crash trucks are ready for duty at new airport runway; two Allison 4800 transmissions per vehicle will help achieve necessary cornering acceleration.

Mainz, Germany, November 2011 – In October, Frankfurt airport in Germany opened its fourth, Northwest runway, enlarging the runway space of Germany’s biggest airport to approximately 220 hectares. To extend the emergency infrastructure, a new fire station has been built and theFrankfurt airport fire brigade’s vehicle fleet has grown. Two of six new FLF Z8 XXL crash trucks from the Albert Ziegler GmbH & Co. KG have been delivered. Powered by twoOM 502 (Euro 5) V8 diesel engines, they offer an engine power of 1,030 kW (1,400 PS) in total. By using two Allison 4800 fully automatic seven speed transmissions with retarder, the 49 tonne vehicles accelerate from 0 to 80 km/h in 21 seconds with a maximum speed of 135 km/h. The vehicles are homologated for the road and can respond to certain emergencies outside the airport.    

The strict requirements of the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) specifies that the airport fire brigade has to be able to reach every part of the runway system, from the sounding of the alarm to the use of extinguishing devices, within a maximum of three minutes. Cornering acceleration is essential which is why two Allison transmissions 4800 were chosen for the drivetrain. Thanks to the torque converter and shifts without interrupts, the fully automatic transmissions ensure continuous power to the wheels delivering maximum vehicle acceleration. Transmission output from both powerpacks is combined through a compound module which delivers power to the four axles via a transfer gearbox. Allison’s distributor inGermany, DGS (Diesel- und Getriebeservice GmbH), was responsible for the integration of the Allison transmissions.

“During an emergency every second counts. That’s why quick acceleration is a must-have for us, which only fully automatic transmissions offer. They also provide another important advantage: The driver always has both hands on the steering wheel and can fully concentrate on driving without the distraction of gear shifting. That increases the safety during an operation enormously,” says Rudolf Moses, section technique and cost management of theFrankfurtairport fire brigade.

The Fraport AG issued its EU-wide tender to replace some older crash trucks and enlarge the fleet, and the FLF Z8 XXL won. Until now, the airport’s emergency service has operated five SIMBA vehicles from Rosenbauer, also equipped with Allison 4800 twin packs. The FLF Z8 XXL driveline is supplied by Titan Spezialfahrzeuge GmbH and has a Ziegler fire-fighting body. The price for one special vehicle is around 1.6 million Euro.

Two FLF Z8 XXL trucks are already delivered and the others will be put into operation in the upcoming months.

Frankfurt airport fire brigade crash tenders 

Model FLF Z8 XXL
Engine 2 x OM 502
Engine rating 2 x 515 kW (700 hp)
Transmission 2 x Allison 4800 with retarder
Emission standard Euro 5
Bodywork Single tired TITAN 8x8 bodywork
Gross vehicle weight 49,000 kg

About Frankfurt airport fire brigade
The airport in Frankfurt is the biggest German airport and is one of the biggest airline hubs worldwide for passengers and cargo. The operating company employs about 19,000 people on site. 286 fire fighters of the airport fire brigade belong to it. In 2010, about 2.3 million tons cargo and 53 million passengers travelled through Frankfurt airport in an average of 1.300 take-offs and landings per day.

About Allison Transmission, Inc.

Allison Transmission is the world’s largest manufacturer of fully-automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, medium- and heavy-tacticalU.S.military vehicles and hybrid-propulsion systems for transit buses. Allison transmissions are used in a variety of applications including on-highway trucks (distribution, refuse, construction, fire and emergency), buses (primarily school and transit), motor homes, off-highway vehicles and equipment (primarily energy and mining) and military vehicles (wheeled and tracked). Founded in 1915, the Allison business is headquartered inIndianapolis,Indiana,U.S.A.and employs approximately 2,750 people. Regional headquarters with dedicated support staff are located inChina, The Netherlands,Brazil,IndiaandJapan. With a global presence in 80 countries, Allison has over 1,500 independent distributor and dealer locations. More information about Allison is available at www.allisontransmission.com.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements.  All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release are forward-looking statements.  In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "plans," "project," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," “intend,” “forecast,” “could,” "potential," "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar terms or phrases. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks.  Factors which may cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made include, but are not limited to: our participation in markets that are competitive; general economic and industry conditions; our ability to prepare for, respond to and successfully achieve our objectives relating to technological and market developments and changing customer needs, the discovery of defects in our products, resulting in delays in new model launches, recall campaigns and/or increased warranty costs and reduction in future sales or damage to our brand and reputation; the concentration of our net sales in our top five customers and the loss of any one of these; and labor strikes, work stoppages or similar labor disputes, which could significantly disrupt our operations or those of our principal customers.  Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that the expectations will be attained or that any deviation will not be material. All information is as of the date of this press release, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in expectations.

Press Enquiries

Claire Dumbreck, Propel Technology, Bloxham Mill, Barford Road, Bloxham, Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK, OX15 4FF. +44 (0)1295 724130 / +44 (0) 7768 773857. claire@propel-technology.com

Miranda Jansen, Allison Transmission Europe B.V. Marketing Communications, Baanhoek 188, 3361GN Sliedrecht - The Netherlands , Tel: +31 78-6422 174. miranda.jansen@allisontransmission.com

Press Enquiries
Claire Dumbreck, Propel Technology, Bloxham Mill, Barford Road, Bloxham, Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK, OX15 4FF. 44 (0)1295 724130 / 44 (0) 7768 773857. claire@propel-technology.com

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