Firefighting Unmanned Aircraft

Airplanes have been used to create firebreaks to combat forest fires for many years, but many are older designs unsuitable for most airfields. Team 18098’s unmanned aircraft design is a blended-wing body with two forward-mounted turbofan engines. With a 73-foot wingspan, the unmanned aircraft can fly into the majority of registered airfields. The design features a gravity-fed dispersal system with a nozzle that reduces the chaotic spread of fire retardant.