DART Aerospace has received FAA supplemental type certification (STC) for its SkyCannon fire attack system on the Sikorsky UH-60/S-70 helicopter. The UH-60/S-70 is the third helicopter type certified to operate the SkyCannon after the Airbus EC225 Puma and Avicopter AC313.

“This revolutionary firefighting system raises the bar for urban firefighting efforts and solidifies DART’s leadership position in the aerial firefighting equipment market,” says Steve Ghaleb, vice president of commercial operations at DART. “While originally requested by an Asian customer for firefighting efforts in dense city centers, operators of other aircraft types started asking about it. It is our mission to meet our customer’s needs, and we’re pleased to now offer the SkyCannon on the UH-60/S-70 in direct response to a specific customer request.”

DART worked closely with Nevada-based Skydance Helicopters to flight test and certify the SkyCannon for the UH-60/S-70. 

“At Skydance, we are often in the thick of the fire season throughout the West, so we were thrilled to work with DART on expanding the SkyCannon system,” says Skydance president Peggy Cain. “We were very impressed. This system has the potential to make a considerable impact in the firefighting market and for other firefighting operators in the helicopter industry.”

The SkyCannon was designed to control and contain high-rise fires by providing the ability for helicopters to reach beyond ground-based firefighting efforts with a directed low-pressure, high-volume water stream. The SkyCannon works with DART Fire Attack Tanks to pump water through an extended boom off the nose of the aircraft to deliver precision applications on high-rise structures. The boom extends one meter beyond the rotor diameter to avoid rotor wash and the system includes an infrared camera and distance measuring equipment for accuracy. Equipped with a hover refill snorkel, the system can rapidly refill from any body of water and can be installed and removed in 30 minutes.

The first UH-60/S-70 SkyCannon is planned for initial installation on an in-service aircraft this fall and enter into service in early 2022.

This press release was prepared and distributed by DART Aerospace.