The Oregon Department of Aviation (ODAV) said Thursday it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. to explore the potential use of Yamahaโs FAZER SAR unmanned helicopter for wildfire mitigation and suppression in the state of Oregon. As wildfire seasons grow more intense and unpredictable, the need for innovative, flexible, and scalable tools becomes increasingly urgent. This partnership marks an important step in evaluating how beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) can support rapid-response operations for small and emerging wildfiresโespecially in remote or high-risk regionsโand in looking at new opportunities under the recently released Part 108 NPRM.
The Yamaha FAZER SAR is a medium-lift unmanned helicopter platform capable of carrying payloads, performing complex aerial maneuvers, and operating under FAA exemptions for specialized missions. Through this MOU, ODAV and Yamaha will jointly explore the feasibility of using this aircraft to conduct targeted missions to help suppress wildfires during their earliest and most critical stages. โThis is a forward-looking collaboration to understand how aviation technologyโespecially uncrewed systemsโcan augment our wildfire response toolkit,โ said Kenji Sugahara, director of the Oregon Department of Aviation. โWhile this MOU does not grant exclusivity or authorize operational deployment, it opens the door to collaborative testing, stakeholder engagement, and regulatory coordination.โ
