Custom-Build ARFF Tender (GRP tank, airport-livery, by spec)

Desautel's custom-build ARFF programme delivers crash tenders configured to an airport authority's or operator's own written specification rather than a fixed catalogue size. The starting point is the VIM platform architecture — proven pump, hose-reel, CAN-Bus cab, and discharge-outlet arrangement — adapted in tank volume, chassis selection, foam concentrate type, monitor specification, crew capacity, and external finish to match the purchasing authority's requirements and ICAO Annex 14 category target. GRP (glass-reinforced plastic) tanks are fabricated to customer-defined geometry, allowing water capacity to be set at any volume between the VIM 24's 2,400-litre baseline and the VIM 90's 9,000-litre ceiling — or beyond it for special projects. Airport-specific livery options include full exterior wrap in the operator's colour scheme, logo placement, retroreflective chevron patterning to local civil-aviation authority standards, and high-visibility crew door markings. Chassis options follow the VIM range's established MAN and Mercedes platforms. The custom-build route is selected when a published model's tank volume falls just short of a category threshold and uprating to the next model adds unwanted mass; when a national aviation authority mandates specific equipment not included in a standard build; when a new airport is standardising its entire ARFF fleet on a single livery; or when an MRO framework requires a replacement vehicle that must be dimensionally compatible with an existing station layout. Desautel's engineering team works with the buyer to define the specification jointly — an established process across the group's exports to more than 60 countries. Lead times and pricing depend on specification complexity; procurement teams should engage early to allow time for homologation and type-acceptance testing by the relevant civil aviation authority.