Ikhana: Unmanned Aircraft System Western States Fire Missions

In 2006, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., obtained a civil version of the General Atomics MQ-9 unmanned aircraft system and modified it for research purposes. Proposed missions included support of Earth science research, development of advanced aeronautical technology, and improving the utility of unmanned aerial systems in general. The project team named the aircraft Ikhana - a Native American Choctaw word meaning intelligent, conscious, or aware - in order to best repr...