NÎMES, France - Airbus in Toulouse, France, is demonstrating how networked airborne and ground-based systems, coupled with real-time data processing and artificial intelligence, can improve wildfire detection, tracking, and suppression.
In a recent field trial, Airbus connected aircraft, helicopters, uncrewed aerial systems, and ground teams using a private mobile communications network and mission-critical software to enable coordinated firefighting operations. The company says the approach reduces latency between fire detection and response while improving the precision of water drops.
The demonstration integrated multiple airborne platforms, including an Airbus H130 FlightLab helicopter, an ATR 72 test aircraft, and a Cirrus SR20 light aircraft, along with four drones, including the Airbus Aliaca. Ground elements included vehicles from the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service of Le Gard, or SDIS 30, which supported data collection and command-and-control functions.
Airbus established a local private mobile network to link the distributed assets, using its Agnet mission-critical communications platform to provide secure voice and data exchange between air and ground nodes.
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Sensor fusion
During the scenarios, drones and the light aircraft collected electro-optical and infrared imagery of the fire zone and streamed the data in real time to processing nodes connected to a mobile command center. The system fused airborne sensor data with satellite imagery, terrain data, meteorological inputs such as wind speed and direction, and the position of ground personnel.
According to Airbus, onboard and distributed processing systems using artificial intelligence generated a common operational picture and calculated optimized flight paths and release points. These targeting cues were transmitted to the H130 helicopter, equipped with a precision water drop assistance system, and to the ATR 72, which simulated a firefighting aircraft.
Testing took place at the Garrigues military camp near Nîmes in cooperation with SDIS and Entente Valabre, a French public organization that evaluates firefighting technologies and provides training.
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Airborne ISR
Airbus says the effort represents a step toward a fully integrated airborne ISR-like architecture for wildfire response, combining sensing, communications, and edge processing to improve coordination between air and ground crews.
The company presented results from the trial at the Aerial Firefighting Conference and Exhibition in Rome, held from 24 to 26 March 2026.
Airbus is developing a broader ecosystem of firefighting technologies, including the A400M airlifter with a roll-on firefighting kit, helicopters equipped with water buckets, reconnaissance drones, and networked data processing systems designed to increase operational efficiency.
