Design of a fire-fighting unmanned air vehicle

Australia's environmental conditions make it one of the most fire-prone countries in the world, and a large percentage of the population resides or works in high-risk areas, creating an on-going need for better fire-fighting capabilities. An undergraduate design project was based on a request from the Country Fire Authority (CFA) to create an unmanned water-bombing system for aerial fire suppression. This paper provides a summary of the resulting design, the Praesidium unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system. The proposed UAV configuration is a ducted co-axial rotor with a lifting body and forward thrust unit, which uses a bucket system to deliver water, retardant or foam payloads. This configuration offers vertical takeoff and landing capabilities regarded as essential to make use of the natural water resources available in Australia, and to enable operation in difficult terrains. The system utilizes a fleet of three semi-autonomous aircraft to enable tactical drops. Cameras and sensors will provide real-time situational awareness to the operators, who control the fleet from a mobile ground control station located at a safe distance from the fire.