IAI Drone to Detect Wildfires Within Minutes

6 August, 2026

The project, led with the Technion and Israel Fire and Rescue Services, has entered flight testing using IAI's APUS 25 TactiQuad tactical drone

[Above: IAI’s APUS 25 TactiQuad drone during wildfire detection system testing. Photo: Israel Aerospace Industries]

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has completed the first flight test of a new national drone-based wildfire detection system and is now launching a broader series of operational trials designed to evaluate the platform under different field conditions and emergency scenarios.

The project is a joint initiative involving Israel’s Ministry of National Security, the Israel Innovation Authority, IAI, the Technion, and Israel Fire and Rescue Services. It combines a dedicated sensor suite with IAI’s APUS 25 TactiQuad tactical drone, a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) platform designed for high-altitude, long-endurance missions.

The system integrates day- and night-vision cameras, an infrared sensor capable of penetrating dense smoke, spectral image-analysis algorithms, and artificial intelligence that analyzes incoming data in real time to detect anomalies, identify fire outbreaks, and pinpoint their location with meter-level accuracy, even from high altitude. Alerts are transmitted immediately to the Fire and Rescue command center.

According to IAI, a single drone can monitor several hundred square kilometers and detect a fire within minutes of ignition, before it develops into a large-scale wildfire.

An Unconventional Propulsion System

The wildfire detection payload is mounted on the APUS 25 TactiQuad, a tactical UAV developed for long-endurance missions in harsh weather and demanding terrain.

Unlike conventional electric quadcopters powered by four independent electric motors, the APUS 25 uses a single liquid-cooled internal combustion engine mounted at the center of the aircraft. The engine operates at a constant RPM and drives all four rotors through IAI’s patented variable-pitch mechanism.

This architecture dramatically extends endurance, allowing flights of up to eight hours, compared with the tens of minutes typically achieved by battery-powered multirotor drones.

The aircraft is also designed to operate on heavy fuels commonly used in military logistics, including Jet-A1, JP5, JP8, as well as gasoline. This eliminates many of the logistical challenges associated with battery-powered drones, such as lengthy charging times and dedicated battery storage infrastructure.

Despite a maximum takeoff weight of just under 25 kilograms, the APUS 25 can carry payloads of up to 10 kilograms during extended missions. It is capable of operating in winds of up to 23 knots, reaching altitudes of 11,000 feet, and supplying 300 watts of onboard power to mission payloads.

Autonomous Wildfire Surveillance

The operational concept is designed to minimize operator workload. A firefighter simply defines the search area by drawing a polygon on a digital map. After takeoff, the drone autonomously navigates to the optimal observation point and continuously scans the designated area for four to five hours, providing emergency responders with a real-time operational picture.

Prof. Assaf Schuster of the Technion’s Faculty of Computer Science said the Fire Detection system demonstrates how advanced research can be translated into operational technology that saves lives and reduces damage. “The combination of the drone platform and its hardware with our algorithmic and AI capabilities will enable fire and rescue authorities to make decisions based on real-time information from the drone and respond to fires quickly and efficiently—at a very early stage.”

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Posted in tags: IAI

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