Colorado tests new precision-guided suppression unit to fight wildfires
STATEWIDE, Colo. (KRDO) -- A team of 16 first responders is developing a new aerial firefighting system called the Precision Guided Suppression Unit (PGSU) right here in Colorado.
The aircraft-dropped system is engineered to drop more than 100 gallons of water directly onto targeted wildfire areas.
The unit is designed to repeatedly enter what emergency responders call the “denied environment.” Fire crews rarely battle blazes at night, and strong winds frequently prevent conventional aircraft from dropping water or flame retardants effectively. By flying higher into the air, the guided water tank can actively navigate directly to flames despite heavy winds or darkness.
Dana Way represents the Colorado Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting (CoE). Way highlighted the crucial role speed and access play during wildland firefighting efforts.
“Time equals impact,” Way said. “The longer a fire burns, the more impact it has on homes and communities.”
Way explained that the PGSU system is specifically designed to reach intense flare-ups that are currently inaccessible to crews.
“That point is going to be the hottest part of a wildfire,” Way said. “So this technology is really up and coming and is able to provide us access into what we're identifying or calling the 'denied environment.'”
Tony Somogyi serves as an aviation project manager at the CoE. Somogyi emphasized that the guided unit can maneuver through severe weather and nighttime conditions that typically force traditional firefighting aircraft to remain grounded, such as during the early stages of events like the "Aspen Acres" fire.
“It doesn't care if it's night,” Somogyi said. “It's a guided flying water tank and it doesn't care if it's dark. It doesn't care about the winds. It actually performs very well in the wind because it actively drives and flies to the fire.”
Somogyi noted that the system provides precision dropping that ground and air operations currently cannot match when conditions worsen.
“It's the ability to put water right at the address, not just the neighborhood of the fire,” Somogyi said. “It gets to where humans can't go in the middle of the fire. That's what we're excited to see is if this can do some work inside a fire and prevent that from getting away from everybody on the ground and, in the air when they currently can't do anything about it.”
The project team is currently entering Stage Two of a three-part testing phase. If testing is successful, officials hope to deploy the PGSU as early as next summer.
Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.
