We know MB loves the Forrest service..... here's a good one for you

[RTFM]

OK here is the Forrest Service symbol....



So why oh WHY is the U.S. Forrest service logo not once but TWICE on this Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) which I count 5 (Five) hard points on???

http://wallbase.cc/wallpaper/246684

(Too large to post so I linked)

EDIT - A little googleing shows they have been using them since 2007 - but DAMN - weapon hard points?  Really?

[fightingquaker13]

Remember, only YOU can prevent forest fires. And if necessary, we'll remind you.
FQ13

[alfsauve]

Good catch.


Hard points don't have to be used just for weapons, though.  They can hold surveillance packages, cargo, even extra fuel.

[Solus]

Good catch.


Hard points don't have to be used just for weapons, though.  They can hold surveillance packages, cargo, even extra fuel.

Can they hold enough fire suppression chemicals to make a difference in a forest fire?

[mkm]

My guess would be that it's used for fire/environmental observation.  Instead of a bunch of people in fire towers, they fly that at high altitudes and cover larger areas.  Just a guess though.

[Sponsor]

[Pathfinder]

Can they hold enough fire suppression chemicals to make a difference in a forest fire?

Nope, look at the wings, way too light for much more than the odd Hellfire. Fire suppressor chemicals are usually dropped from large tanks in high-volume aircraft bellies. I've seen C-130s used for fire suppression drops.

There is also a NASA sticker right next to the Forestry sticker. My guess is it's shared, although why NASA needs a drone, who knows? Maybe a test bed for those wings?

[crusader rabbit]

Poachers are armed.   That's all I'm sayin'...

[Timothy]

There's also a NOAA sticker on the tail section, low right!

[jnevis]

MMMmmmmm.....
OK quick lesson on aircraft structures......

The "hard points" on wings of the drone with the USFS and NOAA logos I am looking at on that site are the actuators for the flight controls. http://wallbase.cc/search/tag:18339 (I can't open the original link from work.)
They are covered for better air flow around the attach points so there isn't as much drag. The large dorsal pod is more than likely a radar mapping set up.  Devices like that can be used to track storm activity (cell movement and strength), terrain changes, and in case of fire the heat signature, direction and debris mapping.  The NOAA and NFS also use a millimeter wave motion tracker radar to track fishing vessels or other animal movements.

The ones with weapons hardpoints on them are USAF.

[Pathfinder]

MMMmmmmm.....
OK quick lesson on aircraft structures......

The "hard points" on wings of the drone with the USFS and NOAA logos I am looking at on that site are the actuators for the flight controls. http://wallbase.cc/search/tag:18339 (I can't open the original link from work.)
They are covered for better air flow around the attach points so there isn't as much drag. The large dorsal pod is more than likely a radar mapping set up.  Devices like that can be used to track storm activity (cell movement and strength), terrain changes, and in case of fire the heat signature, direction and debris mapping.  The NOAA and NFS also use a millimeter wave motion tracker radar to track fishing vessels or other animal movements.

The ones with weapons hardpoints on them are USAF.

Hate to contradict you, but the only control surfaces I see are on the 3 pieces of the empennage. I do not see any control surfaces on the wings. I do see 2 "mounts" for lack of a better word on the left wing.

The image we are looking at is the same as in the upper left picture on the page you showed.