Autonomous aircraft are being tested as a way to fight wildfires

Where there's smoke, there's fire--and soon there will be drones, too. The aerospace and defense company Lockheed Martin has developed a number of autonomous aircraft that can work together to fight fires and rescue people, without humans having to risk their lives. The setup uses two small drones to provide reconnaissance, and two automated helicopters to carry out the tasks of putting out fires and recovering stranded victims. First, a quadcopter drone uses thermal and visible light imaging to identify the location of a fire. It then shares that information with a cargo helicopter that's been converted to fly without a pilot, which is able to carry water to the scene to extinguish the flames.