Israeli HyDrop technology fights fires from above

The bushfires raging through Australia and devastating the people, wildlife and nature in their way are a horribly grim reminder of the havoc that such blazes can wreak despite the valiant efforts to contain them. HyDrop, a new firefighting solution developed by Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems, may one day help in similar situations.

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The high-altitude, high-precision aerial solution will enable firefighting from the air even during nighttime or in poor visibility conditions, meaning that critical operations won’t have to come to a standstill come dark. In a recent demonstration of the solution, two aircraft from the Israeli Fire Fighting Squadron were directed to extinguish a burning field. The aircraft flew at 500 feet, four times higher than the average altitude of firefighting sorties.Each of them launched 1.6 tons of tiny liquid pellets in a computed ballistic trajectory using the HyDrop system, achieving a precise hit with saturation of one to two liters per one square meter. Currently, liquid cascade drop methods require the aircraft to fly at a low altitude of 100 to 120 feet. These dangerously low sorties are restricted to daytime due to safety concerns and civil aviation regulations, hampering aerial operations at night. -- More...

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