Sikorsky and Rain demonstrate autonomous helicopter's wildfire suppression capabilities

Sikorsky and Rain demonstrate autonomous helicopter's wildfire suppression capabilities
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Nov 12, 2024

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company (NYSE: LMT), and Rain, a leader in autonomous aerial wildfire response, have successfully showcased an autonomous Black Hawk helicopter's ability to locate and suppress fires efficiently. The demonstration highlighted the integration of Sikorsky's MATRIX flight autonomy and Rain's specialized mission autonomy system.

On October 29, at Sikorsky's Stratford headquarters, the Rapid Wildfire Response Demonstration illustrated how this cutting-edge technology can respond to a fire in its early stages. Key officials from organizations such as NASA, FEMA, DARPA, Los Angeles County Fire Department, and Orange County Fire Authority attended the event, which was part of a larger meeting focusing on the future of autonomous wildfire management.

"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, CEO of Rain. He emphasized the economic impact of wildfires in the U.S., noting the annual cost exceeds $390 billion and is projected to increase by up to 30% by 2030. Brodie added that autonomous technology could significantly improve firefighting efforts, enabling night operations and flights through challenging conditions that are unsafe for human crews.

During the 30-minute demonstration, attendees used a tablet interface to command the Black Hawk to autonomously take off, locate a fire, and drop water via a 60-foot Bambi Bucket. The demonstration successfully extinguished a controlled 12-inch diameter propane fire emitting 3-to-6-inch flames, demonstrating the system's precision even in crosswinds of 8 to 10 knots. Throughout the flight, Sikorsky safety pilots remained in the cockpit but did not intervene until landing.

Igor Cherepinsky, director of rapid development and prototyping at Sikorsky Innovations, highlighted the collaborative work between Sikorsky and Rain. "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," he explained. He further emphasized their readiness to expand demonstrations to more complex conditions.

The event also drew praise from industry leaders. Genevieve Biggs, director of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation's Wildfire Resilience Initiative, remarked, "This technology that we used to think of as being on the horizon is here now, no longer just a figment of our imagination. It's humbling to see this impressive machine, and think about the improvement in safety that becomes possible when you're layering into wildland firefighting an autonomous operation, as Rain and Sikorsky have been able to do together."