Sikorsky and Rain, a leader in autonomous aerial wildfire containment technology, successfully demonstrated how an autonomous Black Hawk helicopter can be commanded to take off, identify the location and size of a small fire, and then accurately drop water to suppress the flames.
On October 29, a demonstration took place at Sikorsky headquarters in Stratford, showcasing the successful integration of Sikorsky’s MATRIX™ flight autonomy with Rain's wildfire mission autonomy system. This demonstration effectively displayed the joint system's ability to extinguish a fire in its early stages.
Representatives from NASA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the Orange County Fire Authority, and members of the philanthropic and impact investment community observed the demonstration during a two-day meeting on wildlands firefighting to explore autonomy.
“Government agencies, aerial firefighting operators, and investors are coming together to learn and see how both flight and mission autonomy can help prevent high-intensity million-acre wildfires,” said Maxwell Brodie, Rain CEO. “Wildfires cost the United States over $390 billion annually, and multiple risk factors are set to grow up to 30% by 2030. We look forward to demonstrating to lawmakers how autonomous aircraft can stop fires from breaking out, or continue the fight into the night, and in turbulent and smoky conditions, where crewed aircraft wouldn’t venture.”
Throughout the 30-minute flight presentation, attendees utilized a tablet to direct the Black Hawk helicopter in taking off, locating and extinguishing a fire, and releasing water from a Bambi Bucket suspended 60 feet below the aircraft. The precision of the Rain fire perception and targeting capability was showcased as each of the three consecutive water drops successfully put out a 12-inch diameter propane fire ring with flames reaching 3 to 6 inches in height. Additionally, the Rain system promptly adjusted the flight trajectory to accommodate an 8-to-10-knot crosswind during each water drop.
Sikorsky safety pilots in the Black Hawk cockpit monitored the flight controls but were hands-off until the aircraft landed.
“With Rain’s wildfire mission software loaded onto the aircraft and a tablet, wildland firefighters in the field could deploy autonomous Black Hawk or Firehawk® helicopters to search and attack wildfires before they spread out of control,” said Igor Cherepinsky, director of Sikorsky Innovations’ rapid development/prototyping group. “Having worked closely together for over a year, our two companies are ready to demonstrate the joint capability in more dynamic conditions chosen by firefighters.”
“This technology that we used to think of as being on the horizon is here now, no longer just a figment of our imagination,” said Genevieve Biggs, director of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s Wildfire Resilience Initiative and Special Projects program. “It’s humbling to see this impressive machine, and think about the safety improvement that becomes possible when you're layering into wildland firefighting an autonomous operation, as Rain and Sikorsky have been able to do together.”
Comments