Elbit Systems completed a successful field demonstration of its new Hydrop aerial firefighting system that enables retardant drops from much higher altitudes in day or night conditions. Hydrop uses precision-directed liquid pellets, enabling drops from as high as 500 feet to 2,000 feet agl, considerably higher than the typical 100- to 120-foot agl altitude required for the conventional liquid cascade method in use since the 1950s.
During Hydrop demonstration flights, drop aircraft launched 1.6 tons of 140-gram liquid pellets in a computed ballistic trajectory, achieving a precise hit with saturation of one to two liters per square meter. Hydrop integrates fighter aircraft avionics—including a ballistic computer, command and control (C2), and advanced display systems—together with biodegradable liquid pellets stored in a specially designed airborne dispenser.
The C2 unit navigates the aircraft to the drop point while the ballistic computer produces an accurate launch trajectory, taking into account aircraft velocity, altitude, GPS location, wind conditions and the weight and shape of the liquid pellets. The high-altitude system improves flight safety and increases the effectiveness of day and night aerial firefighting by eliminating the liquid loss caused by the aerosol effect.
Hydrop can be fitted to either helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft. The system includes a pellet manufacturing machine that can produce up to 10 tons of pellets per hour that can be filled with water, foam or fire retardant. The pellets have been tested and found to be both environmentally safe and without hazard to ground-based firefighters. The machine is mobile and is housed in a standard 20-foot container.