A flying robot fire truck? It may sound far-fetched but Australia is aiming to make science fiction into reality with a new type of bushfire-battling aircraft.
The Australian government just tossed $3 million to aerospace startup AMSL Aero to develop a way-cool electric plane called Vertiia. Designed to take off and land vertically like a helicopter but fly forward like a plane, Vertiia will help firefighters tackle raging bushfires from the sky. And get this – it can do so without a pilot onboard!
Yup, this battery-powered baby is built to fly autonomously. No risk to human pilots means Vertiia can take on the dangerous dirty work of firebombing flames day and night. It will also spray long strips of fire retardant from the air to contain blazes on the ground.
CEO Max York envisions fleets of Vertiias providing round-the-clock support. The aircraft’s zero emissions profile makes it super environmentally friendly too. That’s crucial when battling disasters likely intensified by climate change itself!
Now the government funding will specifically make a remote-controlled variant to test out first. But the University of Sydney, Mission Systems and Pay’s Air Service have all jumped aboard to help AMSL Aero ultimately get totally autonomous Vertiias off the ground in a few years.
Managing Director Ross Pay sees the aircraft as a big boost for existing firefighting pilots. With no pilot limitations like fatigue, Vertiia takes on the tough overnight missions and frees up human crews for morning action. Talk about teamwork!
Moving forward, AMSL plans to pack plenty of other versatility into these electric eVTOLs (that’s fancy talk for electric vertical takeoff and landing). We’re talking air ambulances, cargo transport or even urban air taxis!
