An old friend of mine (SH-3 & SH-60B Aircrewman & Rescue Swimmer) sent me these pictures of the contributions CAL FIRE is making with the fires out there. Apparently the new H-60 Firehawk is quite the aircraft.
Talk about probably the most competitive helo job out there, flying the S-70 for Cal Fire.
I'm curious as to where they got their MQ-8C payload numbers from. They don't seem right.Seeing those photos, I'm surprised we don't have rotary wing drones for forest firefighting. Seems like a perfect application for a firefighter variant of the MQ-8C, which has a pretty good payload capacity, endurance, and service ceiling. Also, takes humans out of the danger zone.
2,650 lb is the max sling load on the MQ-8C, according to the vendor's slick sheet. This is for the newer Bell 407 type, not the -B variant mini one.I'm curious as to where they got their MQ-8C payload numbers from. They don't seem right.
I’m aware of several USFS contracts in the PNW for retardant delivering UAS.Seeing those photos, I'm surprised we don't have rotary wing drones for forest firefighting. Seems like a perfect application for a firefighter variant of the MQ-8C, which has a pretty good payload capacity, endurance, and service ceiling. Also, takes humans out of the danger zone.
Yes, I do know that. It was never tested on MQ-8C. Its all being marketed based on what the 407 can do.Do we know if NG tested the sling load before they listed it on the product sheet?
Seeing those photos, I'm surprised we don't have rotary wing drones for forest firefighting. Seems like a perfect application for a firefighter variant of the MQ-8C, which has a pretty good payload capacity, endurance, and service ceiling. Also, takes humans out of the danger zone.
Threadjack: Do EDOs work on the RDT&E of UAS platforms, or do AEDOs fill that role, or both, or neither?If the charlie model hasn't fixed the problems with the blades or any of the control issues, then the Fire Scout isn't ready for the difficult job of flying firefighting missions. There were multiple issues we had with the bravo model that would cause catastrophe in a dynamic environment like a wildfire.
I doubt it. There would have to be a ton of AI and ML built into its little "robo-brain" to factor-in the WX, altitude deconfliction with other aircraft, rising smoke/heat that could toast the airframe or otherwise affect flight characteristics, power lines, all the things a human pilot must do. You would want the RDT&E team to have experience and expertise in "swarm"-type drone programming so that multiple aircraft could work in concert without running into each other or impede others operating in the airspace (e.g. manned platforms). Smart people are maybe already making these things a reality.I genuinely wonder if the "waypoint to waypoint" UAV Copter is enough fidelity to do Aerial Firefighting. Plus deconfliction at the water sources.
Hard to answer without knowing more specifics. The brain in the B and the C is the same because they're designed to both fly the same missions. Neither were designed to fly fire fighting missions. Frankly, from my limited understanding of how firebombing is done it's much more like CAS. MQ-8 was designed to hang out and be an ISR platform.If the charlie model hasn't fixed the problems with the blades or any of the control issues, then the Fire Scout isn't ready for the difficult job of flying firefighting missions. There were multiple issues we had with the bravo model that would cause catastrophe in a dynamic environment like a wildfire.
Yes, I do know that.
I doubt it. There would have to be a ton of AI and ML built into its little "robo-brain" to factor-in the WX, altitude deconfliction with other aircraft, rising smoke/heat that could toast the airframe or otherwise affect flight characteristics, power lines, all the things a human pilot must do.