Ignis Receives Interim Approval by Feds

An Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) aerial ignition payload was developed in the private sector by Drone Amplified and tested by OAS (on wildland fires) during the 2018 fire season with favorable results. 135 missions were conducted on five separate fires. The interagency aerial ignition/UAS community wishes to collaborate in an effort to exploit this technology in an effort to supplement conventional aerial ignition systems and techniques.

The system consists of a UAS (DJI M600), plastic sphere dispenser (PSD), payload (Drone Amplified Ignis), and thermal imaging camera (ZENMUSE XT2).

This Interim Approval allows credentialed (OAS carded), authorized interagency personnel to utilize the DJI M-600 equipped with the Ignis PSD system for training, fuels management, and wildfire management for the duration of calendar year 2019. The utility of this system will be evaluated during the 2019 field season. The IFUASS will recommend a course of instruction, position descriptions(s), risk assessment, and operational procedures for NIAC approval at the conclusion of the 2019 field/fire season. The IFUASS is responsible for recommending future aerial ignition payloads to NIAC.

Published by the National Interagency Aviation Committee in Feb. 15, 2019. Original document can be found here.