- Israel completes the first flight test of an AI-powered drone system for early wildfire detection.
- APUS 25 drone uses AI, infrared imaging and real-time analytics to detect fires within minutes of ignition.
- Project aims to improve situational awareness and accelerate wildfire response across large and remote areas.
The initiative brings together the Israeli Ministry of National Security, the Israel Innovation Authority, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the Technion and the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority. The project has already completed its first flight test, marking the start of a series of trials to assess the system’s performance under different operational and environmental conditions.
Designed to support faster and more effective responses to fires, particularly in large and remote areas, the solution has been integrated onto IAI’s APUS 25 tactical vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drone. The platform can operate without a runway, fly at high altitude and remain airborne for extended periods.
The system combines day and night cameras with infrared imaging to detect fire hotspots, including through dense smoke and in low-light conditions. Spectral image-processing algorithms and AI analyse the data in real time, identify fire outbreaks and determine their location from high altitude before automatically transmitting alerts to the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority’s command and control centre.
According to the project partners, a single drone can monitor hundreds of square kilometres, detect fires within minutes of ignition and identify their location with metre-level accuracy while they are still in their early stages.
The APUS 25 is powered by an internal combustion engine, enabling extended flight endurance for long-range surveillance missions. During operations, a firefighter defines the search area on a digital map before the drone autonomously positions itself at an optimal observation point and continuously scans the designated area for between four and five hours.
Yaron Schone, Head of the R&D Technology Department at the Israel Ministry of National Security, said the combination of drones, artificial intelligence and advanced data processing has the potential to enable earlier fire detection, improve operational situational awareness and reduce response times.
Lieutenant General Eyal Caspi, Commissioner of the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority, said the project forms part of wider efforts to develop future operational capabilities in response to climate change and increasingly frequent extreme weather events. He described the initiative as the first strategic step towards building a more advanced fire and rescue service with enhanced command, control and operational monitoring capabilities.
