Autonomous Black Hawk Demonstration Fights Fire With Precision

Sikorsky and Rain collaboration illustrates how uncrewed aircraft can play a role in searching for and attacking wildfires before they spread out of control, companies say.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, November 12, 2024 at 04:01 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Kimberly Johnson

An autonomous Black Hawk helicopter demonstrates an aerial water drop October 29 in Connecticut. A Wildfire Mission Autonomy System developed by Rain commanded the autonomous aircraft to launch, find, and suppress the fire. [Courtesy: Rain]

Key Takeaways:

Sikorsky and autonomous aerial wildfire technology company Rain successfully demonstrated an uncrewed Black Hawk helicopter performing precise aerial water drops for wildfire containment.
The demonstration utilized Sikorsky's Matrix flight autonomy and Rain's Wildfire Mission Autonomy System, allowing a tablet to command precise water drops and adjust for environmental factors like crosswinds.
This technology aims to enable rapid, early-stage wildfire suppression, reduce human risk, and combat the escalating costs and threats of wildfires by allowing operations in conditions unsafe for piloted aircraft.

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Sikorsky helicopters and autonomous aerial wildfire containment technology company Rain recently demonstrated that pilots don’t have to be in the cockpit to fight fires with precision.

On October 29, a Sikorsky Black Hawk outfitted with Matrix flight autonomy technology and Rain’s Wildfire Mission Autonomy System was used to conduct an aerial water drop during a Rapid Wildfire Response Demonstration at Sikorsky’s headquarters in Stratford, Connecticut.