Airbus said Thursday that it recently completed a firefighting trial near Nîmes, France, that linked fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, drones and ground teams through a shared communications and data network. In the demonstration, drones and a light airplane gathered imagery of a fire area, including infrared video, and sent it to a mobile command post. There, the information was combined with other data such as terrain, wind and the location of firefighters on the ground. Airbus said the resulting picture was used to send flight paths and drop points to a helicopter equipped with a precision drop-assistance system and to an ATR 72 test aircraft simulating a water bomber.
The company conducted the test with partners at the Garrigues military camp using scenarios developed with French fire services and Entente Valabre, a public body that evaluates wildfire equipment and train personnel.
The trial included an Airbus H130 FlightLab helicopter, an ATR 72 test aircraft, a Cirrus SR20, four drones and support vehicles from the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service of Le Gard.
Airbus said it used a private mobile network connected to its Agnet communications platform to tie the system together.
The company described the test as an early step in building an environment for evaluating tools intended to improve coordination between crews in the air and on the ground.
The trial comes as other organizations have been examining how automation and uncrewed aircraft might support wildfire operations. Sikorsky and CAL FIRE last year announced a five-year effort centered on autonomy for the Firehawk helicopter, while Oregon officials said last year they were studying whether an uncrewed Yamaha helicopter could have a role in wildfire response.
Airbus’ test appears broader in scope than those recent efforts, focusing not only on aircraft autonomy or a single platform, but on how multiple aircraft, drones, communications links and data-processing tools could work together in one aerial firefighting system.
