The state of Oregon in the United States plans to use drones in the fire department to help the combat of forest fires.
According to a press release from the Oregon Department of Aviation, the state examines the possibility of using Yamahas Sar-Drone helicopters in combating forest fires.
The state and Yamaha already signed a letter of intent «to explore the potential use of Yamaha’s unmanned Sar“Helicopter for prevention and extinguishing forest fires in the state of Oregon,” the statement states.
“As the forest fire seasons become more intense and unpredictable, the need for innovative, flexible and scalable tools increases.”
“This partnership marks an important step in assessing how unmanned aviation systems (UAS) outside the viewing range (BVLOS) can support rapid response to small and growing forest fires, especially in remote or high -risk areas,” the report further states.
Yahas Sar Is a good alternative, as the unmanned drone helicopter is powered by a two -cylinder petrol engine and has a fuel tank that – with the optional larger tank – makes it possible to stay in the air for up to 6 hours.
Maximum height for Sar is estimated at almost 10,000 feet and the range during cruising is about 372 miles. Now that the letter of intent has been signed, officials in Oregon and the fire department’s crews have started testing to assess how suitable it is in fire control.
“This is a future -oriented collaboration to understand how aviation technology – especially unmanned systems – can strengthen our tool sets in the face of forest fires,” said Kenji SugaharaDirector of the Oregon Department of Aviation.
“Although this letter of intent does not provide exclusivity or approve operational deployment, it opens the door for collaboration testing, involvement of stakeholders and regulatory coordination.”
Photo and video: Yamaha. This content was created with the help of KI and reviewed by the editorial staff.
