Dallas-Fire Rescue demonstrates the PANTHER 6×6 electric vehicle at Dallas Love Field airport, Wednesday, April 29, 2026.
Angela Piazza/The Dallas Morning News
Ben Thornton was brought on about four years ago as chief of the Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting crew at Dallas Love Field. As long as he’s been there, they’ve used diesel emergency response vehicles — but that may soon change.
The ARFF crew and Dallas Fire-Rescue on Wednesday at Love Field unveiled a PANTHER 6×6, a 91,000-pound all-electric vehicle designed to fight airport fires.
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The PANTHER 6×6, which the crew hopes to add to its main fleet after testing, could be the first all-electric airport firefighting vehicle at Love Field, according to a city of Dallas news release. The vehicle is manufactured by Austrian-based Rosenbauer International.
The ARFF crew at Love Field, which partners with DFR, responds to hundreds of medical and fire emergencies per year that impact Love Field airport staff and travelers, according to the release.
Thornton said the idea to add an electric PANTHER 6×6 to his crew’s fleet sprung from the Rosenbauer’s preexisting electric fire engine concept and his desire to provide his teams with the best emergency response equipment possible.
ARFF chief Ben Thornton calls VIPs into the cab of the PANTHER 6×6 electric vehicle at Dallas Love Field airport, Wednesday, April 29, 2026.
Angela Piazza/The Dallas Morning News
DFR held a news conference Wednesday morning to reveal the new electric PANTHER and demonstrate the electric and older diesel vehicles side by side.
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Thornton, who worked with DFR for over 26 years, has driven both vehicles and said the differences are like night and day. The electric PANTHER is quieter, faster and overall more efficient for the crews’ limited emergency response window of about 90 seconds.
The game changer is the vehicles’ almost noiseless driving experience, which allows crews to communicate with each other during emergency calls without the headsets a diesel requires, Thornton said.
The rumbly sound of the diesel vehicle was a sharp contrast to the hum of the electric PANTHER as they both pulled up on the tarmac at the airport’s Station 21. The water pump, which creates an abrasive noise in the diesel’s cab, could barely be heard in the electric vehicle. The only discernable noise from the electric PANTHER was its tires spinning on pavement.
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Dallas-Fire Rescue demonstrates the PANTHER 6×6 electric vehicle at Dallas Love Field airport, Wednesday, April 29, 2026.
Angela Piazza/The Dallas Morning News
Steve John, a Rosenbauer market development director, said the vehicle runs four FAA cycles before it needs to recharge. An FAA cycle entails driving the vehicle from the fire station to the farthest point on the runway and emptying its water tank before returning to the station.
The vehicle has been in the making for about 10 years, John and Thornton said. It will go through a six-month trial and testing period at Love Field before it’s put into service, with a long-term goal of integrating one to two more vehicles into the frontline fleet, Thornton said.
John said the company already has several electric PANTHER 6×6 orders from other airports, including some in New Zealand and Singapore.
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Here are a few more of its prominent features:
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A “boost mode” button allowing acceleration from 0 to 50 mph in under 15 seconds
Increased water stream reach by 40%, extending from 190 feet to 250 feet
Two charging circuits and an emergency backup unit that turns on when the battery drops to 20%
Ability to pump and stream water regardless of how fast the vehicle is traveling
Turning radius of about 100 feet
Dallas-Fire Rescue chief Justin Ball climbs out of the PANTHER 6×6 electric vehicle after a demonstration ride in Dallas Love Field airport, Wednesday, April 29, 2026.
Angela Piazza/The Dallas Morning News
DFR Chief Justin Ball said moving forward with technological innovation is a critical part of the department’s mission to ensure the safety of Dallas’ citizens, travelers and emergency response crews while also prioritizing rapid response and environmental impact.
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“This vehicle represents the department’s commitment to being a leader in emergency response,” Ball said. “We’re proving that efficiency and innovation go hand-in-hand with safety.”