The Polish Civil Aviation Authority has granted type certification to the new two-seat version of the PZL-Mielec M18 Dromader agricultural and fire-fighting aircraft.
The aircraft, designated the M18BS, first flew last November. Orders for two have already been received from local operator Aviation Agriculture Enterprise, which worked closely with Mielec on the design and development of the aircraft. It will now join the standard M18B in production
The M18B has been modified with the addition of a second cockpit in the hopper area, reducing the hopper's capacity from 2,200 litres to 500 litres.
The cockpit and smaller hopper were developed from the earlier M18AS version of the aircraft, only 10 of which were built. Mielec has built 691 Dromaders to date, with the 700th aircraft expected to fly within a few months.
Source: Flight International
