Task Specific UAS Design

As the popularity of unmanned aerial systems grows many different groups have tailored designs to fit their particular need. Unmanned systems have been proposed to do everything from providing worldwide cell and wifi service, to replacing your mailman. However, the times when UAS shine the brightest is when they can perform a task that prevents a human from risking life and limb. Many unmanned systems have been designed or modified to  assist firefighters by detecting and tracking fires and also by delivering water directly onto the blaze.

Just this month a joint team from Lockheed Martin partnered with Kuman unmanned aircraft gave a demonstration of a K-MAX helicopter with an upgraded sensor package that was able to autonomously detect fires and deliver up to 680 gallons of water per trip (Gabbert, 2014). Originally a manned helicopter, the K-MAX was converted to a UAS by Lockheed back in 2007. The K-Max has a  high payload to weight ratio and this made it an ideal choice for a water delivery system (K-MAX, 2014).

Back in 2007 the United States Forest Service bought 2 SkySeer UAS to help monitor wildfires. The SkySeer is much better at tracking fires because it’s infrared cameras are not hindered by the smoke. Unfortunately, due to current FAA regulations the Forest Service is not allowed to operate UAS (Gabbert, 2013). The SkySeer is small, lightweight, and with a price tag around $30,000, much less expensive than other options (Bowes, 2006).

The lifting capacity of the K-MAX and the low cost of the SkySeer make them well suited for assisting firefighters, especially when it comes to battling forest fires.

References:

Bowes, P. (2006, June 6). Retrieved November 29, 2014, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5051142.stm

Gabbert, W. (2014, November 18). Fire Aviation. Retrieved November 29, 2014, from http://fireaviation.com/tag/uav/

Gabbert, W. (2013, December 4). Fire Aviation. Retrieved November 29, 2014, from http://fireaviation.com/2013/12/04/forest-service-not-using-100000-drones/

K-MAX. (2014, July 1). Retrieved November 29, 2014, from http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/kmax.html