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Posted: **Tue Aug 23, 2005 4:32 pm**

From Monterey County Herald Mon, Aug. 22, 2005: Officials test civilian spy planes on fires Unmanned planes spy on wildfires Drones will provide data for crews By ALICIA CHANG Associated Press ...Firefighters across the West are getting a high-tech ally in their battle against wildland flames: A remote-controlled spy plane that doesn't mind smoke, can see in the dark and never sleeps. Scientists have been testing whether flocks of the planes -- similar to the spy drones the U.S. military flies over Iraq and Afghanistan -- can help track the direction and behavior of fast-moving flames. After the experimental flight of three unmanned aerial vehicles this summer, the U.S. Forest Service will launch the first real-life deployment next spring. The plan calls for planes to traverse a dozen Western states, mapping real forest fires 24 hours a day. ''Unmanned aircraft have the capability to do what we call the 3-D missions -- the dull, dark and dangerous missions where you don't want to put a pilot on,'' said Vince Ambrosia, research scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center in the San Francisco Bay area, where the experiment was done. Wildfire surveillance currently relies on pilots who fly over hot spots and fire perimeters in aircraft and helicopters outfitted with special heat-sensing cameras that see through smoke and spot fires. The cameras relay images to ground personnel who use the data to help them plot how best to confront the blaze. The biggest shortcoming: Most planes can fly only during the day because of risks inherent in night flying. The Forest Service adopted a night-flight ban after several crashes involving firefighting airtankers were blamed on poor dusk visibility. Forest officials have long considered using unmanned planes to patrol blazes, but only in the last decade has technology allowed miniature heat-detecting sensors to be fitted on small robotic planes. There is plenty of ground to cover -- tens of thousands of fires burn millions of acres each year. Unmanned aerial vehicles -- or UAVs as they are called -- are controlled by a pilot on the ground. They look like test-kit airplanes and act like flying fire towers, relaying data via antenna or satellite. The use of UAVs will come with restrictions. The Federal Aviation Administration must first approve pilotless planes in civilian airspace before such planes can be routinely deployed. UAV flights are permitted on a case-by-case basis if they can be flown safely alongside passenger-carrying aircraft, FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer said. Within the United States, UAVs have served both science and security. The Department of Homeland Security uses unmanned planes to patrol the seas and U.S.-Mexican border. And when Mount St. Helens was belching steam and ash last year, scientists flew a small unmanned plane into the caldera to monitor the volcanic rumbling. Overseas, spy drones such as the Global Hawk and Predator have been used in the war against terror, spotting enemies from high up and in some cases firing laser-guided missiles. Last month, the Forest Service tested three UAVs...which could fly as low as 1,000 feet, were equipped with thermal sensors and hovered...beaming back almost instantaneous infrared updates. ...the Forest Service plans its first night flight using UAVs to monitor...250 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Next summer, the agency will team up with NASA to test the high-flying Altair, an extended-wing commercial version of the Air Force Predator B that is used in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Altair...can crisscross Western states for up to 32 hours without refueling. It can reach as high as 52,000 feet and has a maximum range of about 4,200 miles. <a href="http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/state/12444592.htm">www.montereyherald.com/ml...444592.htm</a>

Posted: **Fri Aug 26, 2005 12:33 pm**

New Scientist Aug 25 '05 Robotic spy-planes use shape-shifting wings by Duncan Graham-Rowe Photo: The tiny surveillance drone mimics the changing wing shape used by seagulls to switch between agile and stable configurations Small robotic spy-planes have been developed that use shape-shifting wings to switch from being stable gliders to ultra-manoeuvrable fliers. The articulated wings – with a span of 60 centimetres – were inspired by the way seagulls alter their wing-shape during flight... It is difficult to quantify how manoeuvrable the new drones are. But during flight tests they have been capable of performing three continuous 360° rolls in 1 second. F-16 fighter jets can carry out one roll per second but have safeguards to prevent more than this in case the pilot passes out through g-force effects. But even without these safeguards Lind, a former NASA engineer, doubts F-16 could match his drones’ performance. The drones are being developed for use in an urban landscape. Lind sees his planes being used for surveillance and security purposes. They could carry sensors to the location of a suspected bioterrorism attack, for example. ...“The challenge now is to develop autopilot software that makes use of this enhanced agility,” says Lind. <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7903">www.newscientist.com/arti...?id=dn7903</a>

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Spy Planes to Cover Western US 24-7

Spy Planes to Cover Western US 24-7

Spy-planes use shape-shifting wings