Promote your company to the global vertical aviation industry through the VAI Member Spotlight, a free benefit for VAI member companies. Want to be featured? Contact Info@verticalavi.org to let us know. If you’re not already enjoying the many benefits our members receive, join VAI today! VAI Member Spotlight: Recoil Aerospace, Kentucky, USA The company’s Tsunami aerial fire-suppression system helps helicopter operators battle blazes. At the 2025 European Aerial Fire Fighting Conference during March in France, members of the Los Angeles County (California) Fire Department Air Operations unit highlighted the unique challenges of responding to the Palisades Fire in January 2025. Specifically, they said, nighttime presented the best opportunity to get ahead of the inferno, due to the reduced heat and wind after sunset. However, to fly at night, aircraft had to be equipped with tanks—not longline buckets—and tank-equipped helicopters were in short supply at the time of the Palisades event. Further complicating matters, regulations required helicopters operating longline buckets to fly around populated areas instead of directly overhead toward the fire. Tank systems, the Air Operations team explained, saved time, increased efficiency, and gave firefighters an advantage. Tsunami to the Rescue With fires around the globe increasing in frequency, intensity, and size, the need for faster, higher-capacity equipment to drop water and fire retardant around the clock has never been more urgent. Bowling Green, Kentucky–based Recoil Aerospace is on a mission to meet these challenges with its internal and external Tsunami aerial fire-suppression system (AFSS). The Tsunami AFSS line is constructed of lightweight, field-reparable carbon fiber. Both the internal and external versions are modular and night-vision goggles (NVG)–compatible, requiring zero aircraft modifications while allowing operators to quickly transfer them between aircraft. Tsunami External The Tsunami External AFSS, designed for the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk, Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma, and Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma, comes in 650-, 800-, and 1,000-gal. capacities. All feature a 130 kt. Vne (velocity never exceed), which Recoil emphasizes is the fastest of any external AFSS on the market. Pneumatically operated, the external system features an integrated foam tank, foam injection, pulse lights, NVG-compatible infrared lighting, an external hailing speaker, and left- or right-side snorkel operation. Tsunami Internal The internal, 750-gal. Tsunami AFSS is designed for the UH-60 and can fill up in as little as 25 seconds from an open water source, fire hydrant, or fire truck. The system features an integrated foam tank, foam injection, an external visual sight gauge, a flight crew hand-controlled quantity indicator, and left- or right-side snorkel operation. The Tsunami External AFSS is certified in the United States, Canada, Morocco, Australia, Mexico, and Brazil, with certifications expected by year’s end from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, Colombia, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand, and South Korea. The internal AFSS is FAA approved, and the company anticipates international approvals by the end of 2025.
