Story by: Tony Osborne, Image Credit: Billy Pix
aviationweek.com
The Saudi Interior Ministry is studying an adapted Chinese Ehang eVTOL equipped to fight urban blazes from above.
As part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, the government wants to use technology to make people safer and more secure, and modernizing national firefighting capabilities is emerging as a key priority.
The Saudi Interior Ministry is exploring several proof-of-concept projects using electric uncrewed aircraft systems from the emerging advanced air mobility (AAM) technologies sector that would act as first responders in a fire emergency. Several of them are on display here at the World Defense Show 2026.
Among them is an adapted Chinese EHang electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) aircraft that is equipped to fight urban blazes from above.
As the skylines of cities such as Riyadh and Jeddah evolve with ever taller skyscrapers, the adapted eVTOL, which will be flown remotely under the proposed concept of operations, would be fitted with roof-mounted retardant launchers, which are powerful enough to break glass so that more retardant can be discharged into the building.
The aircraft, which is powered by 16 motors, would also carry 100 liters (22 gal.) of mixed water and retardant that can be sprayed into the blaze at high pressure. Once it has done its job, it would then fly back to the fire station to be recharged, ready to respond to the next emergency. Charging takes around 2 hr.
With an altitude capability of 600 m (1,968 ft.), the aircraft will be able to reach every floor in all but the country’s tallest buildings, Interior Ministry officials say. It is envisioned that fire stations would be equipped with one or two of the eVTOLs and they could respond to fires anywhere within a 15-km to 17-km (9-mi. 10-mi.) radius of action.
With Saudi Arabia looking to explore the use of AAM services for passengers, work is underway in parallel with Saudi aviation regulators to enable such low-altitude operations. Outside of the cities, the Interior Ministry wants to use the Flynow eCopter, an Austrian-developed uncrewed co-axial rotorcraft, to respond to fires in rural areas.
Carrying up to 150 liters of water or retardant, the eCopter will fly from small towns and villages and be able to respond to incidents such as car fires. Like the firefighting Ehang, the eCopter is also a proof of concept, with Flynow expected to produce the eCopters here in Saudi Arabia in the coming years.
The ministry is also looking to purchase up to eight dedicated firefighting aircraft to combat wildfires that threaten forests in the south of the country.
While most visitors to Saudi Arabia often associate the country with its desert sands, lush green forests can be found in the mountainous south and southwestern part of the country, playing a role in biodiversity, water retention and combating desertification.
Currently, the Saudi Interior Ministry leases in a firefighting capability using adapted Air Tractor AT-802 agricultural aircraft, but it wants to replace these leases with its own dedicated, organic fleet of turboprop-powered Thrush 710P Firebird aircraft that can drop more than 2,500 liters of water or retardant on fires. The ministry hopes to introduce the aircraft by around 2028.
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