Our analysis of recent (2022 and 2023) specialty articles of the sensor suppliers reveals:

... sensors are designed to detect forest fires that just ignited or are in their early stages and to alert firefighters. They measure various gases, temperature, humidity and air pressure, and come with built-in artificial intelligence to reliably detect a fire and avoid false positives. They are also used to more accurately predict where fires might happen based on the data they collect ...

... the amount of time it takes for firefighters to be notified from the moment a fire started varies for the sensor different suppliers, starting from 90 minutes to just about 15, time during which an area of land less than 1 sqm burned ...

... individual sensors could range in cost from less than $10 to about $200 each and a node, which includes multiple sensors and other technology, could cost about $1,000, the investment on large surfaces being about $10 to $15 / ha ...

... another early detection solution include ground based multi-lens cameras for the AI analysis of specific wavelengths: visual, near infrared, etc., 24/7 operation, each sector is monitored (through rotation) every 2 to 4 minutes, nominal range of about 20 km, covering an area of about 200 square km ...

Considering the early detection of the sensors (in a fraction of an hour after the ignition / smoke started, even without flame) and the amount of water required to extinguish the fire, in function of the active combustion area (0 to 200 sqm) for different fuel models / flame lengths (0.3 to 5.8 m) and according to Fig. 5 [1], it suggests that 1000 l water would be enough for a 50 sqm outbreak with a flame height of up to 0.8 m. A SEAT based on extreme STOL aircraft of about 1000 kg load capacity would be an optimal cost effective alternative in this early detection case. Their take off and landing roll of under 100 to 150 m and constructive simplicity gives them almost the same accessibility of a helicopter of the same capacity at much lower costs.

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[1] Rickard Hansen, Malardalen University, Sweden - "Estimating the amount of water required to extinguish wildfires under different conditions and in various fuel types", International Journal of Wildland Fire, 2012/06/01, http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:588138/FULLTEXT01.pdf

... in USA cloud seeding is occasionally used by major ski resorts to induce snowfall. Eleven western states and one Canadian province (Alberta) had ongoing weather modification operational programs in 2012 ...

... in Germany civic engagement societies organize cloud seeding at a region level. A registered society maintains aircraft for cloud seeding to protect agricultural areas from hail ...

... Slovenia's oldest aeroclub carries air defense against hail as a specialized EASA operation. The Cessna TU206G Turbo Stationair 6 II is equipped with external aggregates and flares for flying ....

Fighting off Pests with Deep Learning and Drones

... the use of AI on drone images proved effective to detect pests on trees of different species and sizes, even under variable densities... represents a substantial step forward in the integration of the UAV survey with ground observations in the monitoring of the colonies of an important forest defoliating insect in the Mediterranean area [1]

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[1] Pensoft Publishers, 2023/05/22, https://phys.org/news/2023-05-pests-deep-drones.html

Aerial Combat of Forest Pests

... pest control by aerial spraying is an important component in the integrated management of the forest sector. According to the detailed silvo-pathological research data in the stands managed by the forestry entities subordinate to the "Moldsilva" agency, outbreaks of pests and diseases were identified on an area of 112.33 thousand ha out of a total of 362 thousand ha, of which the outbreaks with defoliating pests constitute 103.3 thousand ha, the most alarming situation is registered within the forestry entities [2]

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[2] Agenţia guvernamentală Moldsilva, 2019/04/16, https://moldsilva.gov.md/libview.php?l=ro&idc=143&id=1301&t=/Comunicare/Comunicate-de-presa/Combatere-aeriana-a-daunatorilor-padurii

Flamingo, an Embention project, is a guided projectile that flies completely autonomously through the merger of INS, GPS and other sensors. With a load of 200 liters retardant or extinguishing agent, it allows for both direct firefighting and a chemical firewall creation. A recovery mechanism that allows the separation of the control unit which releases a parachute just before impact, allowing the recovery of this component holding all the electronics and control actuators and avoiding the necessity of having dedicated aircraft for fire extinguishing purposes, therefore, sharing operational costs with other aircraft uses. Once onboard, a mission system running on a laptop engages each unit to an individual target along the fire front. This command is sent to every unit before launching. This mission system also helps to reach the launch window, the region from which Flamingo can reach its target. Before entering this window, the rear door is open. Every unit is launched before exiting the launch window [1]

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[1] https://www.embention.com/projects/flamingo/

... using the C27J's system of in flight drop, the Guardian cardboard container guarantees extreme precision of the drop and creates a retardant liquid cloud well focused on the target. Containers are biodegradable but they can also be recovered by ground firefighters [2]

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[2] Alenia Aermacchi Press Office, Turin, Dec 6, 2013, Media Information

Parachutes can carry weights of approximate 20 to 25 times greater than their own mass. An autonomous (extreme STOL) fixed-wing aircraft with a load of approximate 1000 kg requires for launching one or more parachutes with own mass totalizing of approximate 40 to 50 kg. After the cargo is picked up by the consignee, these parachutes will be recovered from the ground by much smaller autonomous VTOL drones. Our DDX Solutions launch and recovery guidance software is based on ground and on-board GPS sensors and locators.

Informative Costs

A 1000 kg payload fixed wing (extreme STOL) aircraft can cost between $100k-$150k (complete kit) to $500k-$600k (certified), much less than helicopters of the same capacity (starting from $2m). Its full autonomous conversion cost: on board devices - starting from $50k (plus $50k to $100k for the cost of the first implementation), ground devices - $50k (operating simultaneously 3 to 5 aircraft, up to 200 km control range). Additional costs are required for site/routes specific software and aircraft/system first certification. A 100 to 150 kg payload cargo (simple, passive) parachute can cost between $1k to $2k, a 5kg payload autonomous certified drone with a higher range can cost from $0.5 to $1k, while a 20 kg payload one from $3k to $5k. The whole system (prototype and implementation) costs vary from $500k to $1m.

References

... achieving a high degree of accuracy (less than 100 yd (91 m) from the targeted point) requires the aircraft to fly at the lowest altitude possible, which can range from 400 ft (122 m) [1]

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[1] Wikipedia, Joint Precision Airdrop System

... cargo airdrop systems comprising G-12E parachutes can deliver cargoes of less than 5000 pounds from an altitude above ground level (AGL) of 300 feet... Figure 6: Ogive of Minimum Altitude for Clusters of Two G-12Es (230-320 ft.) [2]

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[2] The Performance of Cargo Airdrop Systems using G-12E Parachutes: Statistical Determination of Minimum Altitude, Steven E. Kunz 1995, https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA291666.pdf

Certified Category - Civil Drones

The 'certified' category caters for the operations with the highest level of risk. Future drone flights with passengers on board such as the air taxi, for example, will fall into this category. The approach used to ensure the safety of these flights will be very similar to the one used for manned aviation. For this reason, these aircraft will always need to be certified (i.e. have a type certificate and a certificate of airworthiness), the UAS operator will need an air operator approval issued by the competent authority and the remote pilot is required to hold a pilot licence. Longer term, we expect that the level of automation of drones will gradually increase up to having fully autonomous drones without the need of the intervention of a remote pilot... The first proposal for amendment, will be published on the EASA website in 2021. [1]

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[1] European Union Safety Aviation Agency - EASA, Certified Category - Civil Drones

... V/STOL aircraft can operate without traditional runways, allowing for deployment from smaller locations and faster response times. Their ability to operate from anywhere also allows for easier concealment from enemies [1]

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[1] Mark Finaly, Feb 1, 2024, Simple Flying

... the Brazilian Air Force tackled the development of a light military transport aircraft. Renderings of a proposed hybrid electric aircraft with STOL capabilities were shown in November 2020 [2]

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[2] Wikipedia, Embraer Short Take Off Utility Transport

... will take soldiers out of harm's way and supplement resupply trips through added uncrewed lift capacity, reducing the risk for Army aircrews. It will also supplement resupply trips through added uncrewed lift capacity, for which the Army usually depends on smaller drones and heavier crewed aircraft. This practice significantly heightens the risk for Army aircrews, especially when operating in hostile regions [3]

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[3] Abi Wylie, Oct 12, 2023, Defense Advancement

Resistance Operating Concept - ROC

... these countries fear that, in case of conflict, their armed forces will not be able to fully defend the state borders and, within the concept of collective defense, it is not known at what moment NATO partners will be able to offer their real support. Some countries allow their own Ministry of Defense Special Operations Forces (OSF) to organize and support this special effort, while others rely on other ministries to organize and lead the resistance effort. ROC, on the other hand, creates a common understanding and lexicon and provides a multinational base from which to start the activity of preparation, planning, organization and leadership of a possible resistance, as an inter-institutional effort or even of the entire society [1]

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[1] Daniel Ilie, Aug 30, 2019, Monitorul Apararii

In areas subject to enemy invasion, such firefighting autonomous unmanned systems can additionally perform 24/7 the function of combat UAVs. The preinstalled multi-lens ground cameras AI network, active 24/7, can be taught to detect and recognize enemy (motorized, infantry, naval) troops within a very large range (unlimited multiples of 20 to 70 km, or only one for cameras on sea beaches). If properly equipped with weapons and decoys / drone swarms, the same firefighting autonomous aircraft could also perform combat missions against this enemy, wherever and whenever it would be detected in the screened area.

... the main purpose of this type of weapon is to find an enemy target, and if the commander decides to strike it, the UCAV hits the target by launching missile, bomb attack or direct hit – for loitering munitions. If the target is not appropriate, the flying system searches another target, while the reconnaissance one should be hit with another fire means (artillery) [1] ...

... while active decoys work by imitating the unseen properties of a target, such as its heat or radar emissions, passive decoys work by fooling the eye [2] ...

... as an example, the decoy is towed behind the host aircraft, protecting it against RF-guided missiles... The system requires no threat-specific software, and communicates its health and status to the aircraft over a standard data bus. The ALE-50 expendable decoys' estimated value is $22,000 each. A production run of 1,048 units were delivered through October 2010 [3] ...

... launching drone swarms... the concept is to launch up to 100 commercial-off-the-shelf unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from a warplane. The UAVs will act as decoys or (remote sensors) to support aerial combat missions... the plane has enough cabin volume to accommodate launchers and multiple drones [4] ...

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[1] Ivaylo BOZOV, Apr 21, 2023, Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV)– Weapon of the Future

[2] Enciclopaedia Britannica, decoy, military science

[3] Wikipedia, AN/ALE-50 towed decoy system

[4] Joe Saballa, Sep 13, 2023, Launching Drone Swarms

Scenario

Autonomous transport of goods (cargo) for isolated and/or hard-to-reach localities with ultra/light aircraft (loading capacity from 200kg, v = approx. 150 - 200km/h), can reach (for the support of the respective communities) reasonable costs - about 110 euros/hour of flight (the reference is for the 2-seater plane, at piloting schools [1]), by assimilation results in a cost of about 0.6 - 0.8 euros/kg transported goods / 100 km back and forth. At the destination, parcels of maximum 10 - 20 kg can be picked up (by the beneficiaries) with multi-rotor drones with an autonomy of approx. 2 km. According to [2] ... [5], such civil assets (respective aircraft and drones) have a special military potential. In case of conflict they can be "self/moved" to the area of interest of the eastern flank from any EU/NATO country in just a few hours (max. 15 - 20 h, even from Portugal). During the conflict, their missing (civil) function (in the countries of origin) will be filled by means of road (these being presently more difficult to autonomize, drivers will also be needed). On the other hand, from the many civilian drone operators, the necessary military personnel can be recruited and quickly/permanently trained. Some features of the swiss model [6] might be "integrated/adapted" at EU/NATO scale

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[1] https://aeroclubulromaniei.ro/page/scau-cursuri-oferite

[2] The War Zone, Howard Altman, Apr. 26 2024, Ukraine Appears To Be Using Light Planes Converted Into Reusable Bomber Drones

[3] European Council on Foreign Relations, U. Franke, Aug 11, 2023, Drones in Ukraine and beyond: Everything you need to know

[4] The Defense Post, Joe Saballa, Sep 13, 2023, US Air Force Eyes Launching Drone Swarms From KC-135 Tanker Aircraft

[5] European Commission, Press Release, Feb 22, 2021, EU industry: Commission takes action to improve synergies between civil, defence and space industries

[6] Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports, July 9, 2024, https://www.vbs.admin.ch/en/nsb?id=101802