With continued changes to the planet’s climate, the number and intensity of wildfires continues to increase, posing ever larger threats to life and property all around the world. Scientists anticipate this trend to continue for the next 50-100 years as temperatures rise, weather events become more extreme and regional drying continues. That alarming situation led the AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) to make a request for a new generation of firefighting aircraft that meets certain requirements.

The aircraft has to be put into service by 2030 maximum. It needs to have a fire-retardant capacity of 4,000 gallons and multi-drop capable with a minimum of 2,000 gallons per drop. The payload drop speed and altitude are respectively of less than 150 kts and below 300 ft with a drop speed goal less than 125 kts. For the design radius at full payload, 200 NM are expected, up to 400 NM. For the ferry range, we’re expecting 2,000 NM up to 3,000 NM. The dash speed after each drop must be 300 kts with a goal of 400 kts. Also, the aircraft must be capable of VFR (Visual Flight Rules) and IFR (Instruments Flight Rules) with an autopilot, flying under icing conditions and to meet certifications rules in FAA 14 CFR Part 25. The goal is to provide systems and avionics architecture that will enable autonomous operations.

As a result, the team came up with a new generation of firefighting aircraft that is named Archerfish. Whether it is by its size or performance, the Archerfish is one of a kind regarding its competitors and even outperform them in many aspects. To learn more about the Archerfish, let’s take a look at what the team has done throughout the year!

To download our presentation, click on the following link! : Presentation of the Archerfish