Remotely-piloted helicopter demonstrates dropping water on a simulated fire

K-MAX remotely piloted dipping water
A remotely-piloted K-MAX helicopter refills a water bucket during testing before an October 14, 2015 demonstration east of Boise, ID. Screen grab from Lockheed Martin video.

Wildland fire officials from federal agencies on Wednesday watched a remotely-piloted helicopter dropping water on a simulated fire and hauling cargo in an external load. The K-MAX helicopter shown today, which almost qualifies as a Type 1 helicopter, has been configured by the Lockheed Martin and Kaman Corporations to be either flown by a pilot on board, or a pilot in a remote location.

Ironically the demonstration occurred on a day when smoke was visible in the air from the 4,200-acre Walker Fire, 13 miles north of the Lucky Peak Helibase where the demo took place east of Boise, Idaho. A safety pilot was on board in case a problem developed.

The hour and a half demonstration included the following missions:

  • Spot drop – 100 feet
  • Spot drop – 55 feet
  • Trailing drop – 55 feet both at the demo area and at the ridge
  • Carousel delivery – 55 feet, two each to the demo area and on the ridge
  • Backhaul Cargo from the ridge – 150 feet

(The video above was shot by Lockheed Martin during testing prior to an October 14, 2015 demonstration of a remotely-piloted K-MAX helicopter dropping water on on a simulated wildfire.)

Below is an excerpt from an AP article:

The K-MAX demonstrated Wednesday has three communication methods, using line of sight and two different satellite links. The craft can be remotely controlled, but it also flies autonomously after being told what to do.

Even if it loses contact with ground controllers, it can complete a task, officials said. It can also be programmed to fly to a specific landing zone on its own if it loses communication for a pre-set amount of time, such as 10 minutes.

“The technology of the auto-control for the aircraft is not really the hard part. It’s all this sensor technology that integrates with the autopilot to tell the helicopter where it’s at”, said Mark Bathrick, director of the Interior Department’s Office of Aviation Services.

Lockheed Martin-configured unmanned K-MAXs delivered thousands of loads of supplies and equipment to soldiers in Afghanistan between 2011 and 2014, carrying more than 4.5 million pounds of cargo, sometimes through areas that would be considered unacceptably risky for human pilots.

Unlike Predator drones, which are remotely piloted, the K-MAX helicopters in Afghanistan followed a pre-programmed route using Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, and required human intervention only to get started.

If this technology matures to the point where fire officials would feel comfortable using it on actual fires, a helicopter like the K-MAX could be flown during the day (the old fashioned way) with a pilot on board, and then during smoky conditions or at night when most other firefighting aircraft are grounded it could still be effective — dropping water to slow down a fire when the blaze is most vulnerable to suppression activity. Fires usually spread more more slowly at night and a water drop when the temperature is lower and the relative humidity is higher would be more effective as long as firefighters were on the ground and able to take advantage of the temporary slowing of the fire’s spread.

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8 thoughts on “Remotely-piloted helicopter demonstrates dropping water on a simulated fire”

  1. its not so easy to do this type of controlling job. pilot have to test and learn lot of time, after then they can learn how to control a rc helicopter. Im using e rc helicopter and its just for fun, but i hope i can control a big rc heli 😉

  2. Bill, This sounds unusual, but I propose asking jafco to submit a guest written article to your site(s). He or she clearly has opinions and I would love to hear them and their genesis.

    1. Interesting idea, CM. We have published articles from independent authors before, but we are not in the habit of soliciting writings from anonymous commenters who beef up their argument by insulting anyone who would disagree with their opinion, saying, for example, “If you have any experience at all with wildland fire and the daily goings on you could only prove a lack of knowledge if you [disagree with me about smokejumpers]”.

  3. Yes Riley the Smokejokers is yet another folly that only hangs on because of the ol boys network. If you have any experience at all with wildland fire and the daily goings on you could only prove a lack of knowledge if you think the smokies are a good program.

  4. Yep Riley mon

    USFS following the military who initiated this

    So it seems like the USFS is following the military as it often has ……in the airlift HEAVY…..so they are not really leading anyone in this regard….

    They simply are applying what someone else has done and now are in the process of doing something already proven…..not to be left out of the action

  5. Some of the negative comments above remind me of the famous letter in the USFS files about the folly of using smokejumpers on wildfires in the backcountry.
    Seems like “lead, follow or get out of the way” is an appropriate response to Jafco and Joe.

  6. I lot easier losing a remote piloted vehicle than a piloted one, so what’s the point. It’s not cheaper, or really more effective then a piloted aircraft. Especially under the operational conditions it would fly. So, other then the USFS having people that know how to play video games. They could also creating another committee to review a system that though it works, really isn’t suited for the mission, but jobs have to be justified. Let’s hope that it was nice to see it work, but lets more on to something else

  7. The USFS already utilizes robots in the office so why not in the field? This is another ridiculous idea like night firefighting helicopters.
    Maybe try getting the aircraft they have up in the air before the Smuckers Uncrustables lunch hour and there should be no need to **** away more tax dollars on follies.

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