Firewatch

Question: Where and why did the Forest Service acquire 25 Cobra Helicopters?

Answer: In 2002, the US Forest Service acquired AH-1 Cobra Helicopters from the Army excess property program as a part of a technology demonstration project to study ways of increasing the efficiency of air operations by leveraging emerging technologies.

Question: What type of mission will this aircraft perform?

Answer: The intent is to evaluate the aircraft in a merging of three currently separated mission roles
1. Air supervision module/leadplane
2. Air attack (airborne command and control over fires)
3. Geo-referenced Infra-red and video mapping with real time down link
It is anticipated that a combination of these roles could result in significant large fire cost savings as well as providing for enhanced fire fighter and public safety through real time downlink of video and infra red information to the incident commander. 

Question: What type of technologies will this aircraft possess?

Answer: This aircraft will be paired with a ground module receiver vehicle and crewed by experienced fire fighting and incident command personnel equipped with state of the art multi-spectral imaging systems and communications equipment. 

Question: How many helicopters will the Forest Service build?

Answer: The government will offer this mission to the private sector as soon as the test program is complete and it makes economic and operational sense to do so. Currently, one prototype helicopter is in the modification process. If successful, no other aircraft will be modified as a part of the test program. If not, follow on aircraft may be needed to complete the test and evaluation of the concept.

Question: Why couldn't this be done with private sector helicopters?

Answer: Because of the need to routinely modify both the helicopter and the technology during the operational evaluation, it would not be economically or operationally feasible to modify private sector contracts at each change point.

Question: What will happen to the other aircraft not used by the Forest Service?

Answer: All remaining helicopters will be returned to the government upon completion of the test and evaluation project. There is no intention to field a fleet of government owned military surplus helicopters.