The cockpit of an aerial firefighting helicopter is a busy place. Pilots have their hands full maintaining situational awareness, communicating with other aircraft as they shuttle back and forth with loads of water or fire retardant to drop on the raging flames below. Anything that makes the job safer and easier in such a dynamic environment is welcome. Here, Vertical checks in with several companies specializing in products and services that are designed to reduce pilot workload, facilitate the flow of information, and make the aircraft a more efficient and effective firefighting machine.
AEM Corp.
First up is Anodyne Electronics Manufacturing Corp. (AEM) of Kelowna, British Columbia. In February, the avionics manufacturer’s MTP136D Panel-Mount Forest Service Radio received full approval from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Department of the Interior (DOI), meaning it can now be used in all federally regulated aerial firefighting agency and contractor aircraft.
First introduced in late 2023, the MTP136D has now served a full season with launch customer Yellowhead Helicopters of B.C., which has installed the radio fleetwide on its 40-plus helicopters.
“From a market perspective, we initially rolled out the radio while the USFS approval was pending and had great success in the Canadian market,” said Marco Morelli, marketing manager at AEM. “Now, it’s moved into the U.S. The USFS approval has enabled all operators and agencies under USFS regs to utilize our radio, since it is now on the approved radio list. Some of the operators who were early adopters in the U.S., as well as those who were waiting for the radio’s approval, have started to place sizeable purchase orders. We anticipate that their assets will see reliability and stability throughout the fire season with our radio in their aircraft.”
Morelli said hundreds of radios have already been shipped to the U.S. and that stock is available. Some large agencies with several aircraft are taking a staged approach while moving towards fleet conversions, equipping several aircraft initially with more to come later.
Pilot feedback on the Project 25 Phase 1 compliant radio has so far been positive. The device covers all available digital and analog channels from 136 MHz to 174 MHz within the VHF FM band, supporting 40 zones and 5,000 channels.
Morelli said the MTP136D is easy to use, with an intuitive menu-driven interface. Operators can quickly configure radio channels and zones for their entire fleet by loading them onto a commercially-available USB-C thumb drive that can then be used to program each radio identically, if desired.
“Operators and technicians can have the USB-C on a keychain, pop it into the slot on the front panel of the radio, and load all of their zones and channel lists in seconds across their entire fleet,” he said. “They love the ability to have continuity across their fleet in a simple and straightforward way.”
Yellowhead Helicopters has also reported a zero failure rate with their new radios, with no incidents across the fleet throughout the previous summer and winter seasons.
Currently, AEM holds a supplemental type certificate (STC) to install the MTP136D on all AS350/H125 helicopters, with another STC in progress for another aircraft that is “commonly used in aerial firefighting,” noted Morelli, adding that this helps installers get the radio onto the aircraft faster with less red tape.
Looking ahead, AEM is focused on delivering additional functionality in its radio product to address some requested features from the market.
Helitak Firefighting Equipment
Queensland, Australia-based Helitak Firefighting Equipment manufactured its 100th helicopter fire tank in May 2025. Jason Schellaars, the company’s founder, CEO and chief engineer, told Vertical it was an exciting milestone for the company, which specializes in fire tanks and hover pumps, as well as the new Aerial Strike Fire Buckets.
Founded in 2006, the company has seen significant growth in recent years, increasing from five employees in 2020 to 45 today. Recently, it opened a second location in Camarillo, California, to serve the North American market. The 20,000-square-foot warehouse will start manufacturing Helitak products in late 2025; meanwhile, it has been servicing and maintaining equipment.
Schellaars estimated about 60 Helitak tanks fight fires every year, deploying about 35 million litres of water annually.
“This year, we launched our Aerial Strike Fire Bucket,” he said. “It was designed for our customers who have a tank, but they also had a need for a fire bucket. The bucket is plug and play, so it uses all the same controls and mechanisms as the tank, simplifying things for the pilot.”
The Aerial Strike Bucket is more efficient and effective, he explained, adding that it features a new valve system with 30 percent improved water flow over its competitors.
“I really wanted to make sure our buckets drop water fast,” added Schellaars. “We’ve basically made three platforms: a single, triple, and quad valve. We tried to keep components generic against all platforms, so you can use the same components to maintain all three buckets.”
Schellaars said Helitak constructed the bucket with few moving parts inside the bucket itself, in an effort to make it more robust. The company can custom build a unit to suit any customer.
Helitak has also made some minor upgrades to its fire tanks for better systems and programming.
“We use a programmable logic controller, a computer system that drives the tanks so you can dial in coverage and flow rates into the tanks, to control the drop pattern for what agencies require,” said Schellaars, adding that Helitak tanks have recently achieved U.S. certification on the Sikorsky S-92, Airbus Helicopters H125, and Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters.
Helitak also makes hover pumps that bring water onboard an aircraft, recently launching a new AC pump for the Black Hawk that is 20 percent more efficient and 30 percent lighter, offering more flow with less power.
Schellaars said buckets and pumps probably take the most abuse in the field when they contact the ground.
“There are two parts to all this equipment,” he concluded. “You have to be able to use it and also maintain it. On both aspects, we’ve tried to keep it simple and not over-engineer, so our units are repairable in the field.”
Recoil Aerospace
Recoil Aerospace of Bowling Green, Kentucky, produces a range of lightweight, carbon fiber composite aerial fire suppression systems. These include the company’s external and internal Tsunami Tanks, developed in response to Federal Aviation Administration regulations prohibiting helicopters from carrying a jettisonable load, such as a bucket, over populated areas.
“We wanted to give operators the ability to be compliant but also give agencies max utilization,” said Joseph Rice, president of Recoil Aerospace. “So, we developed an external tank and got an STC and certification on that over a year ago. We are the only company certified for an external tank on the Airbus H225 Super Puma.”
In March 2025, Recoil’s Tsunami Tank was certified on all UH-60 Black Hawk series helicopters. The 1,000 US gallon (3,785 liter) tank fills in 40 seconds and fully evacuates in five seconds. Recoil is the only tank manufacturer that offers the option to install the snorkel on the right or left side of the tank, according to customer preference.
“None of our systems on the Super Puma or Black Hawk require airframe modifications,” Rice added. “We use existing hard points and load paths.”
The company also incorporated additional features that are often specified in contract requirements. These include high intensity pulse lights, flood lights for night landings, lighting that supports night vision goggle operations, and a siren system to warn of impending load drop. Rice said Recoil also integrated a 36 gallon (137 liter) foam tank, which appeals to European, African and South American customers who integrate firefighting chemicals.
He explained that Tsunami Tanks require AC and DC power. To ensure reliability, the tank is controlled by an analog system.
“When the flight crew pushes a switch, it goes to an analog relay and trips a function on the tank system,” said Rice. “Our design criteria is the tank has to work eight hours a day, seven days a week, for 180 days, without failure.”
Certified in the transport category instead of the restricted category, Recoil’s Tsunami Tanks have received approval from regulators in the U.S., Australia, Canada, Brazil, and Morocco, and European approval was expected within weeks of writing in May 2025.
Tank benefits include lightweight and strong carbon fiber construction, higher ground clearance than competing tanks, a dual redundant pneumatic system, and an emergency five-second drop system.
Rice said Recoil is working on a new internal 790-gallon (2,990-liter) tank system for the UH-60 Black Hawk, set for delivery to the launch customer in Montana in May. A unique baffling system prevents slosh and discourages center of gravity shifts. An STC for this tank is now underway.
“As a restricted category aircraft, the Black Hawk can’t carry passengers,” noted Rice. “To offer users maximum flexibility, they can retain their cargo hook when they use our internal tank. This means maximum usability for the aircraft and the operator.”
Rice said Tsunami Tanks move from dip site to drop site 50 knots faster than helicopters equipped with buckets.
“We are putting more suppression on the fire, thus reducing costs,” he said. “Buckets make seven to eight drops per hour; we are probably at 10.”
Looking ahead, Rice said Recoil is committed to expanding its solutions to other aircraft platforms — including the Sikorsky S-92.
Technisonic Communications
Technisonic Communications of Mississauga, Ontario, has been busy rolling out a new Forestry Mode for its popular TDFM-9000 and TDFM-9300 series radios.
Spurred by USFS requirements for aerial firefighting aircraft to have multiple main/guard radios, Forestry Mode is a software/hardware interface that allows the TDFM-9000/9300 to operate as either two or three forestry compliant radios.
“A requirement for three certified Forest Service capable radios means taking up a lot of real estate in the cockpit,” said Jim Huddock, Technisonic’s director of federal, military, OEM sales and programs. “Each radio is three inches tall, so you’d need nine inches of cockpit space. There was an issue with having enough real estate inside the aircraft.”
Technisonic’s TDFM-9000 was already USFS approved, and it had the capability to fit three Forest Service configurations into it, he continued. But while the interior configuration worked, customers reported issues with accommodating the required six antennas on the exterior of the aircraft.
“We took a good look at it and developed a two-piece solution,” said Huddock. “So, Forestry Mode includes the TDFM-9000 plus a new piece of equipment called the ASU-9000. Working together, this allows the operator to have three USFS approved radios in the cockpit in one 4.5-inch case. Then, we add the ASU-9000, which does the combining work for us.”
Main and guard capability is facilitated via a software-defined VHF-FM module grouping on the front panel of the radio.
“It pairs module 1 and 2 as a main and guard, and 3 and 4 as main and guard, etc.,” continued Huddock. “So, you require only two or three antennas and audio positions depending on radio configuration. They share antennas so it saves real estate.”
The Forestry Mode option improves radio functionality, too. Technisonic says it’s easier to operate with front panel programming and an intuitive interface. Each module holds 3,000 channels.
Introduced in January 2024, Forestry Mode is now flying with several operators, on platforms like the Chinook and the Black Hawk, as well as smaller helicopters and even a few fixed-wing aircraft. Feedback so far has been positive.
“It has a very simple operation. You can look at it and know instantly who is talking and what is happening,” noted Huddock. “Its attributes are placement, safety, and convenience. The pilot can glance down and see which radio is working; we differentiate by color. With the touch of a button, you go from main to guard. You can program channels in quicker and easier.”
He added that the radio itself contains a program file, which can be copied from the first radio and easily installed in the rest of an operator’s fleet.
“Customers ask for simplicity of operation. In Forestry Mode, you can enable a quick save of channels, so you can jump over somewhere else and come right back. You also have the ability to break things into zones — north and south, region 1 and 2, etc. So you hit that zone button and now here is your pre-programmed channel plan for that area.”
So far, there are about 20 Technisonic radios equipped with Forestry Mode in the field.
“Our customers seem to be very happy with it,” concluded Huddock. “Our radios are out there working every day. We had brand new installs working the L.A. fires and we never heard a complaint.”
Technisonic is also looking at enabling customer-driven improvements for its popular TDFM-136B radio.
TracPlus
As wildfires become more prevalent and the season extends nearly year-round in some places, TracPlus of Auckland, New Zealand, is intent on helping aerial firefighters optimize their efforts and their resources.
Founded in 2007, TracPlus has hitched its value proposition on providing data, not equipment.
“We don’t build hardware,” said Todd O’Hara, the company’s chief sales and marketing officer. “We are an aerial firefighting software analytics company. We let people bring their flight tracking devices to us, and our most recent focus is designing a system that sits on top, standardizing all the data and providing operational insights.”
TracPlus Cloud is the company’s main software suite that interfaces with common flight tracking devices from a variety of manufacturers. For operators, it delivers an informative operating picture that enables real time visibility of aerial and ground-based assets.
Cloud can be enhanced to provide detailed operational reporting, detecting when an asset begins to move and enabling the separation of taxi time, block time, or flight time. This assists companies with contract management, allowing them to bill their customers accurately.
Cloud can also be modified to deliver situational awareness reporting, such as alerting ground crews when a firefighting aircraft is inbound to an airfield, so they are ready to assist in a quick turn.
In early April, TracPlus launched its latest innovation, FireFlyte. It delivers real-time insights that enhance safety while ensuring aerial firefighting resources are maximized.
“We are targeting only the biggest operators with FireFlyte,” explained O’Hara. “It is an enterprise level flight solution for operational fleet reporting. It tracks where an asset took off, how many takeoffs and landings it performed, and uses that data to forecast future maintenance. It can also provide finance and operational data — so who did what, where and when?”
O’Hara provided the example of an operator in the U.S. who is using FireFlyte to track their large fleet.
“On the finance side, they have used it to compare clients’ billed data with FireFlyte data from recorded information. They compared actual flight time to billed flight time, and discovered they were undercharging their customers. FireFlyte removes the human risk around transcription mistakes, and that is its biggest return on investment.”
Operationally, FireFlyte’s aerial firefighting module takes fill and drop data from the aircraft and pushes it to a separate report which can be used for cost reconciliations, noted O’Hara.
As with its Cloud suite, FireFlyte piggybacks onto a user’s existing tracking software.
“We developed this solution to meet operational requirements,” he said. “It solves specific problems for large operators with more than 20 helicopters and/or fixed-wing aircraft, and ideally more than 30.
“When we approach people who are interested, there are four areas they want the data to address: aerial firefighting, operational reporting, safety management/risk factors, and the finance side to help reconcile costs. The feedback has been exciting; it’s fair to say it solves problems and reduces errors.”
Some agencies are now using FireFlyte to dispatch aircraft faster, with a better picture of utilization in the field. In the future, said O’Hara, the focus will be on using AI tools to dispatch even more effectively.
“We can make sure an aircraft is closest to where there may be a need, before it’s actually needed. Currently, pre-deployment and dispatching is being done by someone at an ops center.”
O’Hara concluded by reiterating that data equals power in a world where the realities of aerial firefighting are changing quickly.
“What everyone expected even five years ago was the pattern of moving assets north-south because fire seasons were defined. They’re not so defined now, so operators and fire agencies are working longer. Anything we can do to increase their effectiveness, that’s what we’re after.”