Wildfire Managers Plan Drone Test over Idaho Blaze

A high-tech drone is spending a week flying over a west-central Idaho wildfire to see if it's capable of supplying real-time information that incident commanders can use when directing ground-based firefighters and manned aircraft. Testing of the 55-pound craft with a 12-foot wingspan is scheduled to start Thursday night, Air Operations Branch Director Gary Munson of the U.S. Forest Service said. "If the night flights go well, we hope to gradually integrate it into daytime operations," Munson said. The Aerosonde Mark 4.7 operated by Textron Systems launches from a catapult and is recovered with a large net. It can cruise at up to 70 mph. The company in an email to The Associated Press said the system has more than 100,000 flight hours with flights in hurricanes and in the Arctic, but this is its first use on wildfires. The "aircraft's sensors can give responders real-time date on fire growth, burn intensity, fuels and heat concentrations," the company said. It also said data supplied by the vehicle can be used by fire managers to look at erosion risks and impacts on wildlife and vegetation in remote areas. Wildfire managers say they currently lack a good way to determine the exact location of a fire on days when smoke or clouds obscure visibility, typically during inversions when smoke is trapped in valleys. The craft's infrared camera can see through smoke and clouds...more