COLORADO SPRINGS—Automated cockpit developer Skyryse has partnered with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire) to study the use of the Los Angeles-based company’s SkyOS automated flight system on multiple types of firefighting aircraft.
The SkyOS system combines triple-redundant fly-by-wire with touchscreen displays and sidestick controllers to simplify operation and improve safety. Designed to enable rotary and fixed-wing aircraft to be modified for single-pilot or optionally piloted operations, Skyryse says the system “will enable firefighting aircraft to more effectively and safely execute its mission to strengthen wildfire resilience.”
CalFire operates a fleet of more than 60 Grumman S-2Ts, Bell UH-1H Super Hueys, Sikorsky S-70i’s, North American OV-10As and C-130 aircraft. Although no particular aircraft types are identified in the announcement, the initial focus is expected to be on the potential modification of the rotary-wing fleets.
The CalFire partnership is the latest in a growing number of cooperative ventures and agreements for Skyryse, several of which are already focused on Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk modifications. These include a partnership with Ace Aeronautics, a reseller of former military Black Hawks, to equip the helicopters with the SkyOS, and a research agreement with the U.S. Army to provide optionally piloted capability for its UH-60 fleet.
Skyryse also recently began for-credit certification flight testing of the Skyryse One, a new-production Robinson R66 light helicopter equipped with the SkyOS system. The testing marks a key step toward supplemental type certification of the operating system on the R66, with Skyryse One deliveries expected to begin in 2026.
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