The Oregon Department of Aviation (ODAV) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. to evaluate the use of Yamaha’s FAZER SAR uncrewed helicopter (UAS) in wildfire suppression efforts. According to ODAV, the collaboration comes as the state looks for innovative tools to respond to increasingly severe and unpredictable wildfire seasons.

The partnership will explore how uncrewed aircraft systems can operate beyond visual line of sight in remote or high-risk areas to support early-stage fire response, particularly in light of new proposals to simplify beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations approvals, Oregon officials said in a statement.

“This is a forward-looking collaboration to understand how aviation technology—especially uncrewed systems—can

See Full Page