Investigation of a Retractable Wing for an Unmanned Aerial Fire Tanker

Over the past decade, California has experienced a substantial increase in wildfires, largely attributed to climate change, which has led to more frequent droughts and higher temperatures. The cost of wildfire management and its impact on California’s economy have increased significantly, with direct effects on population health, housing, and employment. A recent estimate of the economic impacts of the Los Angeles fires in January 2025 has indicated significant property losses ranging from $76 billion to $135 billion, a nearly 0.5% decline in GDP, and $297 million in wage losses [1]. Wildfire also impacts transportation and goods movements. An assessment of vulnerability and risk of wildfire to Caltrans-owned state highways has shown the benefits of fire management and control along the state highways [2]. 

Given the huge cost of the wildfires, California benefits significantly from investments in new techniques and methods for forest management and controlling wildfires. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones have been used to evaluate and monitor fire breakouts with a rapid response team dropping water and fire retardants to manage and extinguish blazes. Within residential areas, fire management is the responsibility of firefighters. Residential firefighting is labor-intensive and requires significant manpower. The development of a small UAV tanker provides firefighters with a substantial capability in fire management in both residential and open areas.  

Here we are proposing research and testing of a retractable wing for the design of a small UAV tanker for fire management. The goal of the investigation is to develop design criteria for the development of a UAV fire tanker, deployable using the fire trucks for small fire management within populated areas.