Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:Parallel Flight Technologies (PFT) has achieved significant milestones during the course of this project, including the improvement of our overall design, the increased reliability of our UAS, and greater traction with private and public funders and customers due to successful demonstrations. PFT has worked diligently to share these achievements and highlights with audiences across various market segments we're targeting including wildland fire and land management, medical and disaster response, energy and mining, remote logistics, national defense, and precision agriculture, to name a few. These targets include both potential customers, R&D partners, venture capital, retail investors, and funders. Active engagement with stakeholders throughout the development process has been vital, specifically for use cases where the developing technology can be adapted and applied. With an overall emphasis on broader education of heavy-lift autonomous drone tech to our audiences, we've conducted industry focused webinars and marketing efforts to highlight the value and progress of the program and differentiation of PFT's technology. We've seen strong engagement throughout the Advanced Air Mobility market as a whole, and therefore have also targeted those stakeholders interested in eVTOL applications, augmentation of helicopters, heavy-lift industrial applications, using "drones for good", and more. The most effective way the team has been able to keep engagement across these target audiences has been with press releases, social media posts, emailed updates to our listserv, and individual contacts with interested parties. Specific stakeholders we've made sure to regularly update include the US Forest Service (USFS) and Department of the Interior (DoI) UAS community, USDA Wildlife Services, Island Conservation Group, the National Security Innovation Capital (NSIC) team, JSOC, the US Air Force rapid blood delivery community, the NAVY Office of Naval Research sensor payload programs, and customers that have placed orders and/or are awaiting demos. PFT has also participated in working groups such as the NASA Wildland Fire Industry Working Group. Further, we've submitted our willingness to participate as a UAS test platform to NASA's Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO) Project Concepts, Demonstrations, and Partnerships program. Changes/Problems:PFT reached out to the USDA and DOI UAS program leads about test flying and evaluating the new Firefly-IGNIS solution upon completion of our internal validations. Though USDA/DOI were interested, they cited challenges with getting Firefly cleared to fly over USDA/DOI lands because Firefly is greater than 55 lbs and does not yet have a Special Airworthiness Certificate. Consequently, PFT is shifting its efforts from USDA/DOI to DoD for testing UAS-based aerial ignition and related CONOPS, as obtaining clearance for UAS over 55 lbs is generally easier in DoD airspace. This is due to the DoD's priority on national security, its ability to operate in restricted airspace, and its robust infrastructure for managing larger drones in controlled environments. In contrast, agencies like the USDA and DOI have stricter regulations aimed at protecting public safety, wildlife, and sensitive ecosystems, making it more challenging to fly heavier drones in their airspace. To mitigate this obstacle, PFT will leverage its work with the DoD to continue its pursuit of Section 44807 Exemption, and eventually Type Certification, so that collaboration with USFS/DOI can resume to integrate Firefly/IGNIS-4K into their operations. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The USDA Phase 2 work has been the first major payload integrated on the Firefly UAS. It has provided an opportunity for junior engineers to take on new and exciting tasks that extend beyond their developed expertise. In the case of this integration, firmware communication and development between two different companies is a complex and daunting task. Payload architecture has to be well understood and documented prior to executing on a task where the payload has to talk and function to a completely different system. Our junior engineers were able to grow and take on this effort through careful specification communication and development with the Drone Amplified team. At times, this project was difficult but our team was able to take on the difficult troubleshooting and testing and our junior engineers grew significantly in skill through a difficult and complex integration. The USDA Phase 2 work has provided opportunities for junior engineers and 3 PFT interns to apply their existing technical knowledge to a real world R&D project and learn new skills from senior engineers and project leads. Skills applied and newly acquired include the following: Developing and monitoring work plan timelines Sourcing of vital materials and parts in compliance with NDAA guidelines How to troubleshoot and resolve unexpected engineering challenges How to set up quality control and data capture to support future FAA Type and Production Certification Cross-company payload integration including: software, hardware, and electronics Experiencing a structured design review and feedback process How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Achievement of project milestones and other commercial successes have been communicated with press releases, social media posts, emailed updates to our listserv, and individual contacts with interested parties. Specific stakeholders we've made sure to regularly update include the US Forest Service (USFS) and Department of the Interior (DoI) UAS community, USDA Wildlife Services, Island Conservation Group, the National Security Innovation Capital (NSIC) team, JSOC, the US Air Force rapid blood delivery community, the NAVY Office of Naval Research sensor payload programs, and customers that have placed orders and/or are awaiting demos. PFT has also participated in working groups such as the NASA Wildland Fire Industry Working Group. Further, we've submitted our willingness to participate as a UAS test platform to NASA's Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO) Project Concepts, Demonstrations, and Partnerships program. After project close, we plan to continue engagements with USFS/DOI personnel, private partners, and other government agencies to explore opportunities to demonstrate, test, evaluate, and eventually operationalize the Firefly/IGNIS solution. Most recently, PFT has engaged with the Eastern Innovation Landscape Network (EILN) related to its development and testing of new technologies to advance prescribed burning and fuels management on military bases and other "DoD Key Geographies." As a joint program that includes DoD Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense's Energy, Installations and Environment, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, EILN has access to DoD airspace. PFT has already received authorization and has flown at military bases like Camp Roberts and Camp Pendleton, so EILN's access to DoD airspace offers great promise for overcoming the regulatory hurdles that were specific to operating Firefly over USFS/DOI lands. EILN has expressed interest in collaborating with PFT to enable demonstration of the Firefly/IGNIS solution at military bases serving as EILN innovation nodes, including Fort Stewart and Fort Liberty. We plan to enthusiastically pursue this collaborative opportunity with EILN. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? All five of the target objectives have been achieved and demonstrated and many have been significantly surpassed. 1) Firefly demonstrated the ability to carry and deploy at least 2000 ignition spheres per flight/charge. Firefly then flew with 3000 and eventually 4000 ignition spheres with a total payload weight of over 70 lbs when IGNIS-4K was fully loaded. 2) Firefly demonstrated the ability to drop 2000 spheres with equal or better effectiveness than current solutions. In fact, because of its long duration capabilities, unlike other UAS that must quickly drop spheres and then hurry back to base to swap batteries or recharge, Firefly can drop a portion of its spheres, hover and fly along ignition lines and monitor the progress and effectiveness of a burn to provide real time data with optic or thermal cameras, then drop additional spheres as needed in selected areas to ensure effective burn management. 3) Firefly has demonstrated the ability to obtain/provide real-time thermal and visual camera data during the entire duration of its flight. Additionally, the drone's camera gimbal has a pitch range of at least 90 degrees, enabling vertical articulation from nadir (directly downward) to the horizon (zero degrees elevation). 4) Firefly has demonstrated (in multiple videos) the ability to fly over one hour (60 minutes) with the large plastic sphere dispenser (PSD) carrying from 2000 to 4000 spheres, or its payload equivalent. Below are various recorded mock mission flights with significant payloads. 60 minutes with a 44 lb payload (IGNIS-4K) dropping 2000 spheres - 8/7/23 30 minutes with a 67 lb payload (IGNIS-4K flying drop pattern with legs and 4000 spheres) - 11/8/23 120 minutes with 52 lbs (quick touchdown mid-flight for calibration then resumed flight with logistics payload) - 11/27/23 134 minutes with 32 lbs (Logistics Payload) - 11/28/23 80 minutes with 80 lb payload (12/11/2023) 76 minutes with a 90 lb payload (Dec 2023) 198 minutes with a 17 lb payload (2024 longest) *20 minutes with 112 lb payload (9/24/2024) *recorded after project technically ended, but of interest 5) The Firefly fueling system has demonstrated that Firefly can be refueled in the field in less than five minutes with its gasoline and two stroke oil mixture. Average refuel times are actually less than three minutes. Battery swaps and recharging equipment are not needed to operate Firefly because its smaller batteries are kept charged continuously by the parallel hybrid electric module (PHEM) architecture that enables Firefly's exceptional flight duration capabilities. Impact Statement: As a result of this project, there now exists a demo-ready large-scale autonomous aerial ignition solution (Firefly/IGNIS-4K) that is ready for testing, evaluation, and operationalization in collaboration with public and private customers. Firefly/IGNIS-4K increases the ignition sphere capacity per hopper and flight from 200-400 to 2000-4000, and increases the potential acreage burn per flight from hundreds to thousands of acres. Further, the extended flight range and duration of the solution, coupled with the increased payload capacity for more sensors, gives operators the flexibility to burn and monitor iteratively and methodically to increase the effectiveness and safety of operations. When scaled up within the USFS, DOI, DoD, and private sectors, this new tool will help meet the significant demand for increased annual fuels management needed to bring our wildland ecosystems into balance. Most importantly, this solution offers a viable, more affordable alternative to some of the most dangerous missions typically flown by traditionally crewed helicopters by public servants. By removing traditional pilots from the aerial ignition equation, tragedy can be avoided. History has shown that this solution will save lives. Thanks to the cumulative work performed under this scope of work (SoW) and under adjacent SoWs, PFT recently secured a $2M award from National Security Innovation Capital (NSIC), a venture capital arm of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), to produce two ready-for-demo aircraft with Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) capability. In parallel, we've been invited to submit a sequential phase 2 SBIR proposal to the NAVY to make Firefly "seaworthy" so that it can be used by the Navy to test sensor payloads for the PILLS, COBRA, and related counter mine programs.

Publications

Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience:?To date, Parallel Flight Technologies (PFT) has been heavily focused on technology development. In addition to aircraft testing of Firefly PS1, there has been a core focus on engaging with audiences across various market segments, including Wildland Fire, Land Management, Defense and Precision Agriculture to name a few. These targets include both potential customers, R&D partners, venture capital, and retail investors. Active engagement with stakeholders throughout the development process has been vital, specifically for use cases where the developing technology can be adapted and applied. With an overall emphasis on broader education of heavy-lift autonomous drone tech to civilians and potential investors, we've conducted industry focused webinars and marketing efforts to highlight the value and progress of the program and differentiation of PFT's technology. We've seen strong engagement throughout the Advanced Air Mobility market as a whole, and therefore have also targeted those stakeholders interested in eVTOL applications, augmentation of helicopters, heavy-lift industrial applications, using drones for good, and more. The most effective way the team has been able to keep engagement across these target audiences is the performance of successful demonstrations for each of the target objectives outlined in the original proposal. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The USDA Phase 2 work has been the first major payload integrated on the Firefly UAS. It has provided an opportunity for junior engineers to take on new and exciting tasks that extend beyond their developed expertise. In the case of this integration, firmware communication and development between two different companies is a complex and daunting task. Payload architecture has to be well understood and documented prior to executing on a task where the payload has to talk and function to a completely different system. Our junior engineers were able to grow and take on this effort through careful specification communication and development with the Drone Amplified team. At times, this project was difficult but our team was able to take on the difficult troubleshooting and testing and our junior engineers grew significantly in skill through a difficult and complex integration. The USDA Phase 2 work has provided opportunities for junior engineers and 3 PFT interns to apply their existing technical knowledge to a real world R&D project and learn new skills from senior engineers and project leads. Skills applied and newly acquired include the following: Developing and monitoring work plan timelines Sourcing of vital materials and parts in compliance with NDAA guidelines How to troubleshoot and resolve unexpected engineering challenges How to set up quality control and data capture to support future FAA Type and Production Certification Cross-company payload integration including: software, hardware, and electronics Experiencing a structured design review and feedback process How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Achievement of project milestones and other commercial successes have been communicated to USDA and the wildland fire community via posting of youtube videos, email updates to our subscribers, targeted emails and one-on-one calls to our development partners and potential customers by CEO Craig Stevens, and participation in working groups such as the NASA Wildland Fire Industry Working Group. Further, we've submitted our willingness to participate as a UAS test platform to the Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO) Project Concepts, Demonstrations, and Partnerships RFI. Next steps will be to coordinate testing and evaluation of the comprehensive solution with the US Forest Service and the Department of the Interior, similar to what Drone Amplified has done with the Alta-X and smaller versions of the IGNIS-4K, in operationally relevant environments. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?PFT plans to continue with the original work plan with minor modifications to accomplish the remaining tasks of the work plan. Build all-electric heavy lift UAS ("Electric") This task has been completed with no further work planned The flight test went well with noted bugs that were addressed CONOPS were developed which resulted in firmware modifications that were demonstrated during hybrid flight Kickoff Hybrid Build This task has been completed with no further grant work planned IGNIS MAX (Scaled PSD system) Integration work IGNIS-4K has been received and integrated onto the PFT system Firmware integration and testing is 90% complete with minor bugs and final conops testing being conducted in preparation for post grant demonstrations with customers Design and testing so far indicates that IGNIS MAX performs as well or better than the current solution being used by USFS and will be summarized in the final report upon completion of all deliverables Integrate IGNIS MAX controls and communications with PFT RF link This task has been completed with no further grant work planned other than minor bug fixes Develop Ground Control Station and Mission Planning CONOPS Initial meetings driving the communication hardware architecture have been completed, detailed discussion of CONOPS and walkthroughs have not been conducted yet but will begin once prototype hardware is designed and ready for internal collaboration Ground testing (RF Link Range Validation Testing) Range testing has been conducted around PFT headquarters and local areas but no further testing will be conducted as part of this grant Range testing results at ground level were found to be in line with manufacturer specifications but may not cover all CONOPS required of this system A deficiency was identified in the ability to conduct missions at low altitude and in varying terrain at long distances with a Line of Sight (LOS) system. This deficiency is being addressed through other funding opportunities but certain mission CONOPS will be denied based on the limitations of LOS communications which are out of scope to address in this funding opportunity Electric UAS + IGNIS Flight testing This task has been completed with no further grant work planned Transfer IGNIS MAX to Hybrid UAS and flight test This task has been completed with no further flight testing work planned The only work still being planned for this effort is to compile results and report on the grant completion Implement best GCS option - integrating with current PFT GCS software (PIPE) or piggyback This task has been completed with no further grant work planned The finalized software and hardware implementation was agreed on as utilizing Veronte Pipe for aircraft controls and the IGNIS app for payload operations Coordination with Interested Partners & Customers on test location and timing Engagement with USFS, DOI Agencies, and interested stakeholders has been initiated to define and schedule system capability demos and field testing Coordination with FAA via BEYOND / ACUASI for COA COA secured with Grayback Forestry via ACUASI to enable prescribed fire and logistics testing Exploring opportunities to field test under public aircraft operations with USFS, DOI, and other federal agencies Coordination with customers and ACUASI will continue for post grant demo and integration activities Present Firefly/IGNIS Solution for real-world testing for prescribed fire The goal of this effort is to produce a UAS/Aerial Ignition (Firefly/IGNIS) solution ready for field testing and evaluation with the USFS, DOI agencies, and other interested end-users. The solution is nearly ready for field testing. PFT has reached out to USFS and DOI agency personnel to initiate and schedule real world testing and evaluation of the solution, but this next phase should be considered post grant scope completion activity. Through prescribed fire demos and integrations with key customers post grant, Parallel and Drone Amplified will be able to gain appropriate market traction to get the Firefly units with the IGNIS-4k into the field This task is nearly complete.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? All five of the target objectives have been achieved and demonstrated.? The Hybrid heavy lift UAS ("Firefly") has been built, is conducting mock missions with the IGNIS-4K, and has demonstrated the following for hover/flight: 134 minutes with 32 lbs (Logistics Payload) - 11/28/23 60 minutes with a 44 lb payload (IGNIS-4K) dropping 2000 spheres - 8/7/23 120 minutes with 52 lbs (quick touchdown mid-flight for calibration then resumed flight with logistics payload) - 11/27/23 30 minutes with a 67 lb payload (IGNIS-4K flying drop pattern with legs and 4000 spheres) - 11/8/23 80 minutes with 80 lb payload (12/11/2023) Scaled-up IGNIS-4K aerial ignition system has been built, integrated with Firefly, and has conducted mock missions demonstrating its ability to successfully drop over 2000 spheres, though it has been conducting flights with 4000 spheres. The Firefly fueling system hasdemonstrated that Firefly can be refueled in the field in less than five minutes with its gasoline and two stroke oil mixture. We have prototyped a gimbal control scheme and are able to control the gimbal and camera from our PCS to obtain real time thermal and electro optical feedback

Publications

Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22

Outputs
Target Audience:Parallel Flight Technologies has been in contact with the US Forest Service on average about once a month to update them on the progress of our efforts. We have also signed a Research, Development, Test and Evaluation agreement with Grayback Forestry, a target customer from the wildland management and wildfire mitigation sector interested in the aerial ignition solution we are developing under this scope. Grayback agreed to provide private property and professional support which enabled us to secure a Certificate of Authorization (COA) through the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI) that provides the location and authority for us to flight test and demo the aerial ignition solution with Grayback and other interested parties. Finally, investors in Parallel Flight Technologies have been updated regularly and when we achieve significant milestones under this Phase II via social media and email channels. Commercialization Updates: To date, 39 signed LOIs and LOSs from customers interested in purchasing 255 units Conducted successful hose pack demo for interested customers, development partners, and the media Feb 1, 2022 with our all electric UAS Approached by AFWERX and the 99th Medical Support Squadron of the Air Force to provide hybrid electric UAV prototypes for a pilot project to improve emergency blood delivery capabilities to wounded soldiers. Success will likely lead to expansion across CENTCOM countries. Successfully developed and submitted a Direct to Phase 2 SBIR proposal with support from the 99th and AFWERX to secure funding for the Blood Delivery by UAV pilot project. Related to, but separate from the SBIR blood delivery by UAV proposal, we've been asked to develop Contractor-Owned-Contractor-Operated (COCO) and small quantity pricing for additional CENTCOM customers interested in purchasing units for customization to meet DoD mission needs. In negotiations with one of world's largest wind turbine manufacturer/operator for a large five year service contract Approached by USDA Wildlife Services (USDA-WS) in partnership with Island Conservation Group to develop a broad UAS-based solution for pest eradication and vaccine baiting efforts on islands and in remote areas. Specifically, USDA-WS has secured funds from the Air Force to develop and trial a UAS-based customized eradication solution to be used at the USAF Wake Island military base, most likely via a cooperative agreement with PFT. CEO Joshua Resnick has been invited to present to ASABE on Aug 29 and the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) on Sept 21 specifically about our USDA NIFA Phase 2 efforts and the application of heavy lift drones for wildfire prevention and wildland management. Goals of the talks and panel discussions are to showcase how USDA SBIR funding can be leveraged to bring innovative technologies to market and how public-private partnerships are advancing wildlife management through drones. Approached by Precision Ag company to purchase units and conduct R&D to develop their ideal solution for operations and expand their market Entered RDTE agreement with leading private sector wildland fire fighting contractor to collaboratively develop custom solutions Launching subsidiary offices in Netherlands and Canada ? Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The USDA Phase 2 work has provided opportunities for junior engineers and 3 PFT interns to apply their existing technical knowledge to a real world R&D project and learn new skills from senior engineers and project leads. Skills applied and newly acquired include the following: Developing and monitoring work plan timelines Sourcing of vital materials and parts in compliance with NDAA guidelines How to troubleshoot and resolve unexpected engineering challenges How to set up quality control and data capture to support future FAA Type and Production Certification Cross-company payload integration including: software, hardware, and electronics Experiencing a structured design review and feedback process How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Parallel flight has communicated the progress of its USDA Phase 2 and related activities to investors, interested customers, funders and the general public via its regular email, LinkedIn, and other social media channels. During our funding cycles PFT also held regular (weekly to biweekly) virtual webinars and Q&A sessions open to investors and the general community where CEO Joshua Resnick provided company updates and then fielded questions live from participants. Joshua also frequently attends conferences and symposiums as a guest speaker where he engages with industry, academia and associations to talk about our work. In fact, Joshua has been asked to present specifically about our work under this Phase 2 at two upcoming events; one to raise USDA-NIFA-SBIR awareness within the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers on August 29; and another hosted by the Federal Laboratory Consortium on September 21 to discuss the wildfire and wildland management solutions that we're developing in collaboration with USDA. Finally, PFT reached out to our new Program Contact, Dr. Diomides "Diomy" S. Zamora, to provide a project introduction and status update on June 8 when we learned that he took over from Patrick Cassidy What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? PFT plans to continue with the original work plan with minor modifications to accomplish the remaining tasks. Build all-electric heavy lift UAS ("Electric") Testing is underway for the all-electric beta aircraft with first flights complete and hours of hardware testing strapped down for ESC reliability testing Next steps are to integrate payload electronics on the all-electric aircraft to begin test with IGNIS when it arrives Kickoff Hybrid Build The initial drivetrain integration was a challenge due to the complexity of the newly designed drivetrain. Initial testing showed premature wear and tear on a critical component. To address this challenge, we are in the process of engineering a modification to the drivetrain and will retest the drivetrain in order to requalify the parts and achieve an acceptable reliability specification. Testing for the hybrid aircraft will continue which includes continuation of running the core hybrid modules, trailer testing, hardware in the loop, and initial flight controller tuning The next engineering design of the fast fuel system will be completed in this phase which will be targeting the goal of a 5 minute refueling operation Next steps are to conduct payload flights for characterization prior to loading IGNIS on the system for integration testing Overall this has been a challenging build that has been set back slightly due to prototype engineering design fixes and requalification IGNIS MAX (Scaled PSD system) Integration work Near ready for delivery to PFT with hardware testing in progress Integration of the communication and electronic systems with the aircraft will be completed and tested There are some adaptations needed since the ignition ground control system does not control the aircraft trajectory in this configuration, whereas it does with Ignis II A deviation to the plan for this effort is to skip the mockup build of the IGNIS payload because the actual payload will be ready sooner than anticipated and can be used for flight validation Perform live fire testing post integration with UAS Perform height accuracy tests post integration with UAS Design and testing so far indicates that IGNIS MAX will perform as well or better than the current solution being used by USFS Integrate IGNIS MAX controls and communications with PFT RF link Initial integration of the IGNIS into the communications stack has been slow due to other hardware issues being solved, integration has started in parallel and issues are being solved and firmware written to interface the IGNIS to the Veronte CAN protocol and communications link integration are being designed and coded prior to receiving the IGNIS MAX Hardware selection for test is complete with an IP mesh network being utilized for EO/IR and IGNIS payload communication Benchtop testing is being conducted to verify proof of concept networking and allow for early protocol development Develop Ground Control Station and Mission Planning CONOPS Initial meetings driving the communication hardware architecture have been completed, detailed discussion of CONOPS and walkthroughs have not been conducted yet but will begin once prototype hardware is designed and ready for internal collaboration Ground testing (RF Link Range Validation Testing) Finalize the test plan and execute the range validation for the IP mesh radio Electric UAS + IGNIS Flight testing Flight testing will be conducted at PFT headquarters to validate all aspects of the IGNIS system communication architecture This is lower risk testing and allows for continued integration and testing of the hybrid system while initial flight validation of IGNIS MAX is conducted Transfer IGNIS MAX to Hybrid UAS and flight test The all electric test platform is a great first platform for integration because of ease of fielding the aircraft One of the key goals that will be evaluated on the hybrid platform is the mechanical design of the IGNIS MAX and EO/IR system's capability of operation with larger vibrations than are experienced on the electric aircraft Flight testing will be conducted at PFT headquarters with the intent of validating the fully integrated payload system including: Payload functionality, updated flight controller tuning, aerodynamics evaluation, and vibration isolation Implement best GCS option - integrating with current PFT GCS software (PIPE) or piggyback Will align with Drone Amplified on a proposed CONOPS and communication for presentation to the end users on desired functionality Upon feedback we'll finalize the CONOPS and communication protocol Coordination with Interested Partners & Customers on test location and timing Will secure backup COA locations with additional partners & FAA Coordination with FAA via BEYOND / ACUASI for COA Will secure backup COA locations with additional partners & FAA Real-world testing for prescribed fire TBD PFT's assessment of progress is that the original overall project work plan can still be accomplished with a slight delay in the timeline. Since PFT's initial timeline was aggressive, we currently believe we can successfully complete all work plan tasks within the allotted two year project period. There will likely be a shift in timeline closer to the end of the project for flight demonstrations to USDA, USFS and other interested public and private customers. Since fire season in the West can begin as early as April, we may need to shift demonstration of the aerial ignition to a location where weather conditions permit safe demonstration of aerial ignitions on the ground. PFT has many interested partners willing to support demonstrations and we plan to secure multiple backup locations with COAs to ensure that we have a place to safely demonstrate aerial ignitions with the final solution when it is ready.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The all-electric heavy lift UAS has been built and it is ready for Ignis testing on an aircraft hardware level The hybrid heavy lift UAS (PS1) has been built is currently in the middle of bringup and testing The scaled-up IGNIS 4K aerial ignition system has been built and integration with PFT UAS has begun The IGNIS 4K has confirmed ability to carry up to 4,000 ignition spheres Testing to date of IGNIS 4K has demonstrated drop rates and effectiveness equal to or better than the current solution Work Plan Summary Build all-electric heavy lift UAS ("Electric") PFT has built the beta electric aircraft and it is currently in flight testing (25 hours of testing on previous iteration) PFT has also designed and built a prototype charging system for the custom fast swap batteries which has proven capable of charging an entire aircraft worth of batteries Kickoff Hybrid Build Already built (285 hours of testing on the core hybrid modules) Testing is underway for the hybrid aircraft which includes continuation of running the core hybrid modules, ground testing, hardware in the loop, and initial flight controller tuning A field refueling kit has been prototyped and tested with the next iteration of the system in design, current capabilities are approximately 12 minutes for fueling. IGNIS MAX (Scaled PSD system) Integration work Near ready for delivery to PFT with hardware testing in progress IGNIS Max engineering design with modifications finalized IGNIS Max prototype built and dry testing initiated Cycled 4000 spheres during successful alternating drop testing Cycled 6000 spheres to achieve optimal auger speed and pressure All dry run tests (no chemicals) have been successful and met or exceeded target objectives Integrate IGNIS MAX controls and communications with PFT RF link Hardware selection for test is complete with an IP mesh network being utilized for EO/IR and IGNIS payload communication Benchtop testing was begun to verify proof of concept networking and allow for early protocol development Develop Ground Control Station and Mission Planning CONOPS Initial meetings driving the communication hardware architecture have been completed, detailed discussion of CONOPS and walkthroughs have not been conducted yet but will begin once prototype hardware is designed and ready for internal collaboration Ground testing (RF Link Range Validation Testing) A project is currently underway to prepare for range validation of the IP mesh network LOS system including specifying the hardware and test plan Link loss calculations have been conducted based on the updated communication architecture in collaboration with the radio manufacturer and requirements have been developed which need to be validated in real world scenarios Based on calculations, amplifiers will likely need to be added based on mission specifications and flight altitudes to ensure good LOS communication in the drop zone Electric UAS + IGNIS Flight testing To be performed Transfer IGNIS MAX to Hybrid UAS and flight test Data is already being gathered with respect to airframe vibration on the hybrid platform and appropriate mounting of the gimbal system is being updated appropriately based on frequency rejection analysis of the damper materials Damper materials are being developed with a US based vendor to provide appropriate damping for the autopilot and gimbal system to provide smooth flight control and situational EO/IR to the operator Implement best GCS option - integrating with current PFT GCS software (PIPE) or piggyback To be performed Coordination with Interested Partners & Customers on test location and timing Secured demo and prescribed burn COA and location with partner Coordination with FAA via BEYOND / ACUASI for COA Secured demo and prescribed burn COA through ACUASI/FAA Real-world testing for prescribed fire To be performed

Publications