Aerial Firefighters Steal the Show at Heli-Expo 2020

by Ryan Mason

Aerial firefighting was on the forefront at this year’s Heli-Expo show in California. All images by Damon Duran. One could have been easily confused as to whether they were attending the right helicopter convention at this year’s Heli-Expo 2020 held in Anaheim, California in January. A look at some of the major helicopter exhibits could have easily confused an attendee that they might be attending an aerial firefighting show with the large amount of key exhibitors that had brought along a firefighting aircraft to showcase as their centerpiece at this year’s show.

Sikorsky was a major player in the aerial firefighting presence, having a total of almost half a dozen aircraft that performed aerial firefighting missions on the convention floor. Featured aircraft that formed the centerpiece of their floor exhibit showcased the new CalFire S-70i along with sister ships from L.A County Fire and the San Diego City Fire Department on hand, all featuring an external tank fitted to each aircraft.

This in addition to aircraft on the convention floor that included a UH-60 from Firehawk Helicopters and multiple other exhibitors in the static aircraft displays featuring several other UH-60 models that also performed firefighting operations.

Not to be left out, one of the key exhibits on the floor of the Leonardo booth was one of the three Travis County (Texas) AW169 helicopters, which although a multi-mission municipal agency, mainly concentrates on EMS and aerial firefighting operations via Bambi bucket drops in Travis County.

Although Bell Helicopter featured no center stage aircraft in their convention space, there were plenty of Bell assets on display in the static aircraft section of the convention floor that included firefighting aircraft from Santa Barbara County, a UH-1H from Pinal County Arizona and even a legacy Los Angeles County Fire Bell 47 that is no longer flying, but has been brought back to a beautiful static display by the City of Los Angeles for use as a public relations tool.

One of the stars of the aerial firefighting displays at this year’s show was hard to get close to due to its unending line of curious onlookers, one of only two Airbus helicopters on display fitted with firefighting equipment, the belle of the ball being the mammoth AS332L1 Heli Austria “Firecat” fitted with the new Helitak Australia FT420 Firecat tank.

Helitak Australia was another stand out exhibitor at Heli Expo this year with the FT4250, 1122 gallon tank debuting at this years show, along with the FT4500 fitted to a UH-60 from High Performance Helicopters on the floor and an additional tank on display for the AS-350 in display at the front of their booth.

Helitak has continued to produce multiple solutions for the aerial firefighting market that have displayed their intent to be a major player in the external tank market, now having tanks capable of being fitted to the AS350, S-58T, S-61, Bell 212/214 and 412 in addition to the new assets for the UH-60 and AS332 market. The company’s tank infrastructure also includes logic controllers that enable the pilot of an aircraft to monitor telemetry that includes hours of operation, water collection volume, pump operation time, door settings, water drop volume and GPS coordinates for drop locations with an impressive fill time of under 50 seconds, able to complete a drop in under 4.5 seconds.

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Erickson Incorporated & Sikorsky Sign Development Agreement to Tackle the Future of Firefighting & Introduce S-64F+ at Heli Expo

Nighttime firefighting is complex and dangerous. Erickson Incorporated, a worldwide leading operator, maintainer, and manufacturer of utility aircraft, and Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company, and premier manufacturer and developer of rotorcraft and autonomy solutions have signed a development agreement aimed at tackling the future of firefighting in the 21st century. Erickson will work to develop the next generation of pilot optional nighttime firefighting solutions, integrating Sikorsky’s MATRIX™ Technology into a digitally enabled fire management system never-before-used in night firefighting.

With next-generation flight controls and navigation systems powered by MATRIX™, Erickson will enhance cockpit awareness and flight crew safety during day and night operations.

Erickson’s goal is to enhance our customers’ existing firefighting strategy, using technology to improve safety and protect lives, homes, and property.

Currently, nighttime firefighting is complex and dangerous, making for a massive challenge in the market that needs to be solved in the safest way possible. Both legacy manufacturers are committed to developing a safe alternative to night vision goggles, providing new and innovative ways to enhance the safety for pilots not yet used in the commercial market.

This endeavor will be cost-effective, executed in the safest manner in order to tackle the world’s largest fires — at night.

“We are pleased to be working on this important initiative with Sikorsky who we have a longtime history with. Since adopting care of the S-64 global fleet in 1994, Erickson has continuously modernized the platform to support critical missions.” Doug Kitani, CEO Erickson

Erickson has been the original equipment manufacturer of the S-64 since 1994. MATRIX™ Technology is one piece of Erickson’s new suite of firefighting technologies and modifications to the S-64 Air Crane® platform.

Erickson also announced a new production line of the legacy Air Crane introducing the S-64F+ to the market at the Heli Expo show in 2020.

Erickson’s recent aircraft orders and deliveries have signaled a demand for the S-64 as a firefighting platform of the future. We will transition to new production aircraft with the future introduction of the S-64F+.

The future S-64F+ will include the following innovations and enhancements:

Incorporation of a modern engine, enhancing range and fuel efficiency New Composite Main Rotor Blades Enhanced cockpit and flight control system Improved water cannon to provide best in class performance

Erickson has identified the investment in product, plant, and equipment (PP&E) required to support our customers and these initiatives. Erickson is scheduling meetings with prospective buyers for the S-64F+ with our aviation sales experts.