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48 a golf course, the people standing by at the drone press three buttons, to start it, set the location and initiate its departure,” Kijung Kwon, CEO of NARMA, explains. “Within 3 minutes, it should arrive at the patient’s location. A member of personnel such as a caddy in the vicinity of the patient then takes the AED out of the drone and applies it to the patient.” Firefighting Howe & Howe, a subsidiary of Textron Systems focused on developing robotic land vehicles, has recently delivered its first Thermite RS3 UGV to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Designed to be used to protect the lives of first responders in particularly hazardous fires by enabling them to keep at a safe distance, the first configuration for Thermite was released in 2008. Over the past 12 years it has gone through multiple iterations and continuous r&d. “These have resulted in two models – the Thermite RS1 & RS3,” explains Paul Ford, programme manager at Howe & Howe. “Both UGVs are tracked, diesel- powered vehicles carrying high-power hose equipment for fire suppression, as well as EO/IR cameras for increasing the stand-off distance and situational awareness for fire crews.” The RS1 is the smaller of the two, and is intended for manoeuvring through narrow areas such as between or inside buildings. It measures about 196 x 162 x 111 cm, and weighs about 725 kg. Its hose has a maximum flow rate of 1250 gallons per minute (gpm) at 200 psi, and it has an endurance of up to 20 hours between refuelling. It also has a 5000 lb (2268 kg) winch and sprayers for cooling its tracks and hull. The RS3 is larger – about 214 cm long, 166 cm wide and 163 cm tall, for an approximate weight of 1587 kg – and its modular design and wider stance allow operators to incorporate additional equipment. These include a 165 x 33 cm plough assembly for clearing away debris and damaged or abandoned vehicles, a positive-pressure ventilator and a compressed air foam tank and dispenser. As standard, it integrates a hose with a maximum flow rate of 2500 gpm and an 8000 lb winch. It has the same endurance as the RS1. Power to the RS3 is supplied by a Yanmar 3TNV88C, a four-stroke diesel engine that is water-cooled and produces 36.8 hp. It is fed by a 34 litre tank and has a top speed of 8 mph (12.9 kph). The RS1 uses a Kohler KDW1003, a 24 hp four-stroke diesel that is also water-cooled, giving it a top speed of 9.7 kph. Hurricane relief Periscope Aviation is continuing to develop its long-endurance, heavy-lift electric quadrotors across a number of applications, several of which are aimed at helping relief efforts following natural disasters such as hurricanes, tropical storms and wildfires. Its A5 quadcopter can tolerate wind speeds of up to 60 mph and potentially higher, while carrying and powering a comms repeater or relay such as those designed by its parent company, RF systems engineering firm Chartis Federal. The company plans to trial the system in hurricane conditions as a quick- deployable radio tower for providing secure comms between disaster response organisations such as FEMA December/January 2021 | Unmanned Systems Technology The Los Angeles Fire Department has taken delivery of its first Thermite RS3 firefighting UGV from Howe & Howe (Courtesy of Howe & Howe) Even after making landfall, the wind speeds in a hurricane will decrease but will still be far higher than what most UASs can fly in