Aerial surveillance and prescribed burns
Extinguishing flames from the air is just one way that drones fight fires. A case in point: Airbus’ all-weather Flexrotor VTOL drone that has been designed for commercial, defense, and industrial applications. This drone can aid firefighters in areas such as intelligence, surveillance, mapping and environmental monitoring, offering innovative solutions for challenging operational environments.
“The Flexrotor is a highly versatile uncrewed aircraft system designed with features that make it especially useful for firefighting,” said Ben Motazed, Flexrotor’s business development lead. “It can stay airborne for an average of 12- 14 hours (with payload and fuel tank), allowing for sustained monitoring of wildfire conditions.” Equipped with electro-optical and infrared cameras, the Flexrotor provides real-time imaging through smoke to identify hotspots and assess fire progression.
At the same time, the Flexrotor is easy to deploy and operate. “The system packs into a 50-kg. / 110-pound box, making it easy to transport on pickups or via special operations aerial insertions,” Motazed said. Launching and landing this CTOL requires no more than a 3.7 meter x 3.7 meter (12 feet x 12 feet) landing zone, and the Flexrotor can be airborne in less than 30 minutes, including fueling and ground control setup.
“Once aloft, it combines helicopter-like thrust-borne lift with the wing-borne efficiency of a fixed sailplane,” Motazed said.
“The Flexrotor’s ability to fly preprogrammed patterns and revisit specific locations repeatedly makes it ideal for ongoing fire assessment, including monitoring firebreak effectiveness and weather changes. The Flexrotor is already being used for firefighting. It was first used for conservation and anti-poaching efforts in 2016, but we quickly recognized its potential for firefighting due to its durability, efficiency, and unique design.”
Enhanced situational awareness is also the rationale behind the Skydio X10 drone. “Its FLIR Boson+ thermal sensor allows firefighters to see through smoke, identify hotspots, and locate individuals in dangerous and hard-to-reach places,” said Jason LaFond, Skydio’s customer success manager for public safety. “These capabilities are essential for assessing scenes, allocating resources, and ensuring safety for first responders.”
The Skydio X10 can be deployed in under 40 seconds, LaFond said. “With 5G connectivity and live-streaming capabilities using Skydio ReadyLink, real-time video feeds can be shared directly with command units and ground teams,” he said. “This enables a coordinated response and ensures that receive accurate and up-to-date information.”
all stakeholders
Meanwhile, the Skydio Dock for X10 is an autonomous docking station that can be prepositioned to deploy an X10 drone remotely in 20 seconds or less. This allows fire departments to preposition X10 drones in high-risk areas, providing them with rapid situational awareness when fires break out.
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