Drone Swarm Technology as an Option to Suppress Forest Fires

This study used both practical and theoretical approach to investigate the possibility of drone usage delivering suppressant to fire front. Firstly, the required width of wetting strip and the required amount of water per unique area were investigated; practical experience shows that based on the flame length firefighters can estimate both the effective width of the firebreak and the amount of water required per a unique area. Second part of this paper, the transport capability of a drone was investigated during its life cycle that is specially optimized for firefighting. In the example author took a 100 kg transport capacity that is with multiplying easy to transfer to other drone design; in case of about 0.5 MWm−1 fire intensity 100 kg water is enough to make about 100 m long firebreak, in case of about 3.5 MWm−1 fire intensity it can create only 2.5 m firebreak. Even if this latest result seems a bit short, we have to take into account the swarm technology. In 10 km distance 30 drones can built a 5 m long firebreak per a minute that means 300 m per hour. This result is no worse than what large or very large air tankers can built averagely in this fire intensity.