VICTORVILLE, Calif. (KABC) — From the outside, it might look like just another Firehawk helicopter. But one might say – it’s the firefighting helicopter of the future.
Its designers say this Firehawk can literally take off, pick up water and put out fires — all by itself without anyone at the controls.
“The first time I was in it…I was like OK, it’s very confident in what it’s doing,” said John Rucci, a pilot.
Rucci was one of the pilots on board for a series of test runs recently conducted in Hesperia.
Even though in theory he could take over control of the helicopter at any point, all of the Firehawk’s instructions were being delivered by someone on the ground.
The technology is designed by a company called Rain in coordination with Sikorsky, the helicopter manufacturer. The goal is to find new ways to more quickly respond to fires.
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