He suggested that to speed up
the process, agencies should
try to get an approval authority
lower than the US DoD, perhaps
by going straight to the state
governor. After all, there are now
12 states with Air National Guard
units with which the state governor
could liaise directly, allowing the
MQ-9s to be mobilised quicker.
Hessheimer called on ICs to try
to build temporary flight restriction
(TFR) zones up to 18,000ft. “While
working in California, we found that
we were limited by weather a lot
of the time. If we could have got
below [18,000ft] we would have
been below the weather, enabling
us to work with other aircraft, as we
do overseas, and kept on station.”
An RPAS can fly at night with
an infrared camera, which can
be switched over to TV during
the day, providing round-the-
clock capability. During the
Thomas Fire in southern California
in December last year, drones
were on station for more than
300 hours. “But every fire is
different,” Hessheimer explained.
“That one was about looking for
structures and people because
it was burning so fast – at one
point an acre an hour. During last
year’s Selma Fire [in California] we
were looking for cell towers and
things like that. Combined with
the Rim Fire, all three took up 500
hours of intelligence overwatch.”
Above: Air National Guard C-130J pilot
Maj Danny Ariza prepares to drop
retardant on the Pier Fire, southeast
of Fresno, California. ANG/TSgt Jeff Allen
Above right: Staff at the 163rd Attack
Wing evaluate burn areas inside the
wing’s Hap Arnold Center at March
Air Reserve Base, California. ANG/ SrA
Crystal Housman Right: An MQ-9 Reaper
of the 163rd Attack Wing flies near
March Air Reserve Base, California.
AFRC Below: A Modular Airborne
Fire Fighting System-equipped
302nd Airlift Wing C-130 Hercules at
Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.
USAF/1st Lt Steven Collier Left: Lt Col
Andy Rathbum, an RC-26 mission
system operator assigned to the 141st
Operations Group, Washington Air
National Guard, maps the Chetco Bar
fire in southern Oregon in September
2017, using the RC-26’s onboard
camera system. USAF/SrA Sean Campbell36 // MAY 2018 #362 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com
Intel
Report