Application of Side-Looking Radars to Increase the Effectiveness of Forest Fires Extinguishing Using Aviation Systems

The paper presents a methodology for implementing an integrated system for area forest fire extinguishing using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The main attention is paid to the development of aviation vision technologies that combine the use of modern radar stations that form frames, video cameras of the visible and infrared ranges, high-precision navigation systems of the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and geographic information systems (GIS). The proposed technique provides rapid scanning of the fire area, obtaining geo-linked data on terrain features, identifying dangerous obstacles and accurately mapping the fire front. Based on the integration of radar and optical information, an optimal flight plan for a firefighting aircraft is formed along a virtual runway located at an altitude of 30-50 m above the fire front, taking into account wind parameters, clouds and the presence of artificial obstacles. Trajectory parameters are calculated in the same way as it is done for instrument approach schemes, which makes it possible to ensure the accuracy of extinguishing liquid discharge with an error of up to several meters and increase flight safety in complicated conditions. The technique provides for cyclic data updating by means of UAVs and prompt transmission of adjusted routes to the on-board computer of the navigation and aerobatic complex. A detailed analysis of the accuracy characteristics of modern GNSS, inertial modules and digital terrain matrices has been carried out, as well as an assessment of the errors in determining the coordinates of objects at a distance of up to 300 m. It is shown that the developed methodology makes it possible to balance the limitations of existing databases and quickly introduce new elements of obstacles into the route model. The practical implementation of the proposed methodology helps to increase the efficiency of forest fire extinguishing, reduce response time and reduce the risks of aviation incidents when performing emergency response tasks.