AutoFlight unveils high-payload advanced air mobility firefighting program and debuts fully functional prototype
by DRONELIFE Staff Author Walker Robinson
AutoFlight has announced their electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) firefighting program and prototype drone. The firefighting drone is a modified version of Autoflight’s CarryAll product with a formidable range and payload capability enabling it to combat fires in a wide range of situations.
AutoFlight is a multinational company focused on aerial solutions across a wide range of industries. Integrating artificial intelligence, 5G, and advanced drone manufacturing, AutoFlight has been driving growth within the eVTOL drone industry since their founding in 2017. Their eVTOL products have diverse applications, from passenger transport to fireplace suppression.
The firefighting prototype demonstrated this month successfully extinguished a controlled fire. The eVTOL drone has a maximum takeoff weight of two metric tons, including a payload of 4 100 kg payload of advanced fire-extinguishing canisters. Each canister bursts directly above the goal area, able to extinguishing as much as 200 square meters, for a combined payload effectiveness of 800 square meters. The drone can reach speeds greater than 200 km per hour and fly for several hours at a time with no need to recharge.
AutoFlights original eVTOL product, the CarryAll, which their firefighting drone is predicated off, is anticipated to receive certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) early next 12 months.
In response to the successful prototype flight, Kellen Xie, Senior Vice President of Global Sales & Business Development at AutoFlight said, “In comparison with existing fire-fighting Unmanned Aerial Vehicles available available in the market, AutoFlight’s prototype has achieved significant breakthroughs when it comes to load capability, flight duration, coverage, flight efficiency and firefighting effectiveness. The initial demonstrations with potential customers received very encouraging feedback. We are going to now enter discussions with clients and development partners to evolve the prototype into product, including ground station and supporting systems.”
The impressive range and payload capability make it a potentially invaluable tool to firefighting agencies the world over. Either addressing small, spontaneous fires in distant locations, or supplementing larger fire suppression efforts in a rural or urban environment.
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