Future capabilities
While working with CAL FIRE on
the Rim Fire, the 163rd often lost
communications with firefighters
in the mountainous terrain.
Hessheimer continued: “We are
trying to design a pod that will
allow the RPAS to communicate
via VHF, cellular or FM. We also
want to try to layer information
over the FMV; for example, the
direction the RPAS is looking.”
As well as video from the MQ-9,
footage can be sourced from the
UH-72 Lakota and RC-26, and
Hessheimer’s unit has talked to
the Civil Air Patrol with a view
to putting sensor turrets on its
aircraft, again with live feed. This
imagery could be overlaid to
give the IC a common operating
picture of the entire situation.
Another challenge of conventional
aerial firefighting is fatigue. “With
us, fatigue is not a factor because
there would be three crews,
each flying around eight hours.
During the Rim Fire, we reached
out to the other 12 ANG units
for any excess pilots and they
supplied them, so it developed
into an inter-state effort.”
While no-one at the conference
doubted the capabilities of the
MQ-9, some voiced concern
about the time taken to obtain
the authority to use the drones,
but it comes with the territory.
Using an advanced platform,http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #362 MAY 2018 // 37
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