Sikorsky and Rain Showcase Aircraft’s Ability to Find and Extinguish Fires

Sikorsky and Rain recently demonstrated the fire fighting capabilities of an autonomous UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. During the test, the rotorcraft was commanded to take off, locate and determine the size of a fire, then drop water on the site to extinguish the flames.

The demonstration was hosted on October 29 at the Sikorsky Headquarters in Stratford, Connecticut. It was part of a two-day autonomous wildlands firefighting event visited by NASA< FEMA, DARPA, the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the Orange County Fire Authority, and other members of the community.

The Black Hawk used was outfitted with Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomous flight technology alongside Rain’s wildfire mission autonomy system. Sikorsky put safety pilots in the cockpit to monitor flight controls, but they were instructed to remain hands-off until landing.

“Wildfires cost the United States over $390 billion annually, and multiple risk factors are set to grow up to 30% by 2030,” stated Maxwell Brodie, CEO of Rain. “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.”

The flight lasted around 30 minutes. It began with attendees using a tablet to make the Black Hawk lift off before departing to find the fire. After evaluating the scene, the aircraft dumped water from a Bambi Bucket hanging 60 feet below. This was completed a total of three times, each putting out a 12-inch wide, 3 to 6 inch tall propane fire ring. Organizers chose to use a small fire to demonstrate the perception and targeting accuracy of the aircraft, even in 8 to 10 knot winds.

“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,” explained Igor Cherepinsky, Director of Sikorsky Innovations’ rapid development and 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.”

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