Rogerson Kratos subsidiary Top Drop is offering a customized aerial firefighting solution using repurposed surplus U.S. Army Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopters. Repurposing the UH-60A and L model Black Hawks can cut acquisition costs by up to two-thirds as opposed to purchasing comparable new equipment, CEO Michael Rogerson told AIN. Rogerson thinks the idea to serve communities directly will gain a market following as more local communities take aerial firefighting into their own hands, as the fire danger becomes more acute. Like now, for instance.
This year is shaping up to be one of the worst U.S. wildfire seasons on record. By early June, nearly two million acres had already burned, nearly triple the amount at that time last year. In New Mexico alone, five fires cumulatively had torched 660,000 acres. Fire-prone California recorded 30 wildfires during the first five months of the year, including the 600-acre Old Fire blaze that popped up on Memorial Day near Napa Valley’s wine country.
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