Chinese passenger drone developer EHang announced this week that its manned fire fighting drone, the EH216F AAV, has successfully passed a technical investigation by China’s National Fire-Fighting Equipment Quality Supervision Testing Center (NFFE). The company reports this in a press release. The fire drone must offer a solution in cities with a lot of high-rise buildings.

Testing Process

The NFFE is a national research firm for the quality of fire extinguishing equipment under China’s Emergency Response Ministry. Her nationwide responsibilities include the development of standards, centralized management and technical guidance for fire fighting equipment products, including specialized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The 216F was officially launched a year ago. The successful investigation of the EH216F means it now meets the NFFE’s firefighting UAV standards and requirements, allowing EHang to market the fire fighting operations aircraft both in China and abroad.

In its release, EHang explains the test process: “The 10-month NFFE technical study included 52 different types of tests, such as flight control functions, hover and return accuracy, large/low altitude flights, electromagnetic compatibility, wind resistance, adaptability at high/low temperatures, resistance to vibration/shock, radiant heat resistance and smoke performance.”

High-rise buildings

According to EHang, the EH216F AAV is particularly suitable for use in high-rise cities: “With important advantages in autopilot, rapid response and cluster management, the EH216F is designed to address pain points in urban high-rise fire fighting and become a valuable addition to the existing system and emergency response.”