The company’s drone-mounted technology
carries chemical spheres the size of pingpong
balls. At the press of a button, the spheres
ignite, intentionally sparking small fires to burn
vegetation and deprive incoming wildfires of
potential fuel.
The drones can also be equipped with thermal
cameras to help spot hotspots, and they can be
used in situations that are unsafe for manned
aircraft, such as low-visibility nighttime operations.
University researchers tested the technology
in 2016 with a controlled fire at the Homestead
National Monument of America near Beatrice.