BOISE, Idaho — The future of wildland firefighting launched Wednesday morning in Idaho.
A Lockheed Martin helicopter capable of flying autonomously with no human control did so as it scooped up water, dropped it on targets and delivered supplies to a distant ridge in a demonstration in front of top federal decision makers 20 miles east of Boise.
The Lockheed Martin K-MAX put through its paces Wednesday completed seven tasks in about an hour and a half. A safety pilot was aboard, often holding his hands aloft to indicate to about 200 observers that he wasn’t using the controls.
Federal officials say having an optionally manned aircraft has advantages in that a pilot can fly it from fire to fire.
A pilot could also fly it during the day when conditions are safe.
The problem is that firefighting from the air stops at night or when smoke reduces visibility.
The unmanned helicopter, though, has high-tech sensors allowing it to fly at night and in smoky conditions too dangerous for manned flights.
That means at least tripling the amount of time aircraft could be attacking blazes, officials said.
