U.S. Interior Department awards 112-day deployment contract
Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:BAER) has secured a 112-day task order from the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to provide a specially modified King Air 350 aircraft in support of wildfire monitoring and emergency response operations across the United States.
The aircraft will be stationed in Bozeman, Montana, and is scheduled to remain in service through the end of October. Modifications were completed at Bridger’s FAA-certified maintenance facility with engineering support from the company’s Huntsville team.
The upgraded platform features Blackhawk engine enhancements, Garmin avionics, dual sensor technology and real-time data transmission capabilities designed to improve situational awareness during wildfire incidents.
New imaging technology strengthens firefighting capabilities
The aircraft’s surveillance package includes what Bridger describes as the first deployment of Wide Area Motion Imagery (WAMI) technology in wildfire operations, alongside an MX-15 electro-optical and infrared sensor system.
“This project was an extraordinary undertaking for our team, and we believe it has the potential to significantly enhance how intelligence is collected, shared, and acted upon in the field,” said Bridger CEO Sam Davis.
Based in Belgrade, Montana, Bridger Aerospace provides aerial firefighting and wildfire management services to federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, supporting wildfire detection, suppression and emergency response efforts throughout the country.