Herder Delivery and Ignition System

Scope of Work:

1. Review the history and development of integrated herder delivery and ignition systems. 2. Broad exploration of options for an improved integrated system for use from a single helicopter. Potential herder delivery systems include using the existing system as is, an existing system with modifications, or a complete redesign of the delivery system. Example systems include but are not limited to the following: • Helicopter cargo hook mounted platform containing both the herder delivery system and ignition launcher system with remote pilot controls and multi-camera observation that can be winched up between helicopter skids while in transport and then lowered below rotor prop wash while in operation. • Small all-in-one “coffin” package with herder container, GPS geospatial mapping, and tracking, and ignition component launcher connected to cargo hook and lowered by winch into the water and towed behind the helicopter. • Binary chemical incendiary “ping pong ball” launcher. • Swarm of “Tennis ball” wide cast incendiary bomblets with RF radio-electronic ignition control • Hand-deployed, disposable “toy” remote-controlled torpedo thrown from a helicopter and steered into the oil with electronic incendiary ignition control. • Slow burn “Dynamite” type fuse deployed on a reel from a helicopter to be spread across a wide area on top of herded oil with an electronic remote ignition box attached. • Resistance heating wire built into small units that can be dropped as a “cluster” munition to ignite slicks.

3. Broad exploration of options for an improved integrated system for use from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Examples of a combined system include but are not limited to the following: • Agricultural UAV multirotor pesticide/herder dispersal platform with remote ignition components launcher. • Ignition systems are described in 2 above. 4. Broad exploration of options for an improved integrated system for use from an unmanned surface vehicle (USV). Examples of a combined system include but are not limited to the following: • Modified “Jetski” to be deployed from responder boat deck with herder tank, remote guidance and control, and remote ignition components to replace helicopter deployment. • Ignition systems are described in 2 above. 5. Review of initial concepts by contracted experts in both ISB and the FAA, including certification processes and challenges. The goal being to review designs that have been previously explored, determine why they weren’t adopted, and determine if the reasoning is valid for our application. Another goal is to prioritize potential solutions based on expectations for difficult and time-consuming certification. Timely FAA certifications are considered critical criteria during the down-select process. 6. Create a final whitepaper detailing the most promising of the options which can be used as a basis for further development and testing. The paper will include a prioritized list of concepts evaluated describing the pro and cons of each. Three to five of the most promising concepts will have a more in-depth evaluation, including • 3D CAD drawings. • Any ”tabletop” experiment results. • Video and/or photographs of any site testing, demonstrations, or experiments. • Integration feasibility with current assets and active deployed solutions. • Analysis and subsequent decisions derived from the discussions with ISB and FAA subject matter experts, including any documents or papers generated/received by expert consultants • Recommendations/path forward and rough-order-of-magnitude cost to develop selected solutions.