Roadfour company
Roadfour NV/SA is a new Original Equipment Manufacturer dedicated to large capacity firefighting seaplanes.
Based in Belgium, Roadfour was founded by Jean-François Gailly and Gaëtan Du Four (PhD), both engineers and architects.
Acting as the conductor of a complex and large-scale project, the founders have surrounded themselves with a team of experts
in aeronautical engineering, former operators and specialists in the forest firefighting industry.
The company brings together the most competent and renowned TIER1 in the fixed-wing aircraft industry to work on the SEAGLE programme.
This industrial design process goes hand in hand with meeting future customers and aligning with certification authorities (EASA).
Contact : info@roadfour.com
Vision
A natural vision of sustainability
The struggling fire fighting teams all over the world during, almost every season,
are showing a lack of capacity to prevent and avoid the outbreak of mega-fires
in the countryside and fragile natural areas.
Our vision is that innovation and entrepreneurship are necessary to develop new
powerful tools to solve the wildfire issue for every community.
Protecting our forest means protecting our only home – Earth.
The SEAGLE programme aims to help the firefighters with adapted tools in situation
that is getting worse mainly due to climate change.
Mission
More efficiency, more productivity, more value
We are creating a new modern seaplane with today's design tools.
The capabilities of this aircraft will surpass all the equipment available today.
The Seagle programme will be equipped with the latest generation of engines,
state-of-the-art avionics, and scooping and bombing equipment designed for maximum
efficiency and safety. Major design decisions are made on the basis of operator
and pilot input. They deserve such a new aircraft before the end of the decade.
It is our mission to deliver.
Strategy
Designed from scratch
As a founder team of aeronautical architects, we take the liberty of designing
this new programme from scratch.
We are not linked to any kind of ancient aircraft type or existing industrial process.
Of course we will use all the off-the-shelf equipment available whenever possible.
But the core of the SEAGLE project, the aerostructure and hydrostructure, are carefully
designed by our design office with the help of the best aeronautical engineering teams
working in support.
This freedom of design allows us to address all the requirements of the end-users
in the best possible way.
Innovation
The key for successful firefighting operations
At Roadfour we see innovation as the logical direction of history and technological development.
Incremental innovations are often welcome, but at certain stages of product maturity,
the most competitive choice will be disruptive innovation.
No seaplane platform has been designed in the West for half a century.
With modern tools like the digital twin, it is possible and desirable today to introduce a new aircraft,
capable of revolutionising the firefighting sector.
