One of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's Firehawk helicopters at the Lake Fire Jurupa Valley in May 2021

There are three categories of firefighting helicopter operating in the US

Helicopters transport fire crews and supplies to the fire lines

An S-64 drops retardant in the Klamath National Forest in California in 2014. Erickson is planning to upgrade the helicopter with a new engine, rotors and avionics

Helicopters monitor fires as well as fight them, such as with this July 2016 fire in the Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming

A Colombia Helicopters Model 234 takes on water during the Dixie Fire in South California in July 2021

The UK start-up company Faradair is working on an autonomous variant of its BEHA M1 (Bio Electric Hybrid Aircraft) concept for aerial fire-fighting missions.
Faradair Aerospace plans to use a tanker version of its BEHA M1 to provide autonomous retardant delivery