Transforming wildfire response with autonomous drone swarms

International research team AURA Foresight has been awarded $500,000 in the XPRIZE Wildfire competition for its approach to rapid wildfire detection and response using AI and autonomous drone technology. Heliguy supported the project by supplying a rental fleet of DJI enterprise drones and payloads at short notice for the team's final demonstration in Alaska.

Key takeaways:

• XPRIZE award: AURA Foresight received $500,000 in the XPRIZE Wildfire Autonomous Wildfire Response competition, following its final demonstration in Alaska. AURA Foresight reached this stage from more than 130 teams.

• Early intervention: The competition challenged teams to autonomously detect and completely suppress a high-risk fire within 10 minutes of ignition across a 1,000km² area.

• Autonomous drone swarms: AURA Foresight's solution uses long-range sensing and AI to detect fires, drone-based AI to locate and validate them, and coordinated swarms to deploy extinguishing payloads.

• Rental support: Heliguy supplied a fleet of DJI M400, M350 RTK and M300 RTK drones, plus H30T, H20T and H20N payloads for the Alaska demonstration.

• What's next: XPRIZE Wildfire is moving into an Impact Phase focused on helping promising technologies progress towards real-world deployment.

AURA Foresight secures XPRIZE Wildfire award

Wildfires are becoming more frequent, more destructive, and increasingly difficult to contain.

AURA Foresight believes autonomous drone swarms could help change that.

The international consortium reached the final three of the XPRIZE Wildfire Autonomous Wildfire Response competition, progressing from more than 130 teams to demonstrate its technology in Nenana, Alaska.

And in September 2026, following the final, the team received $500,000 for successfully demonstrating autonomous and persistent detection and meeting the competition's critical 10-minute detection gate.

XPRIZE Wildfire is a four-year, US$11 million global competition designed to accelerate breakthrough technologies capable of ending destructive wildfires.

The challenge required teams to autonomously detect, verify and respond to a wildfire ignition within 10 minutes across a 1,000km² landscape, highlighting a new approach to wildfire management: tackling fires in their earliest moments, before they can grow out of control and threaten communities, ecosystems, and critical infrastructure.

AURA Foresight's solution uses long-range sensing and AI to detect fires, drone-based AI to locate and validate them, and coordinated drone swarms to drop extinguishing payloads on the fire.

Dr Georgios Tzoumas, Team Co-Lead of AURA Foresight and Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, said: "Our team has been working on autonomous wildfire detection and intervention technologies for more than six years.

“Reaching the XPRIZE finals was an exciting milestone because it feels like the solution is finally within reach. By combining AI, swarm robotics, and close collaboration with firefighters, we're showing that it's possible to tackle wildfires while they're still small, before they grow out of control."

The team summarises its approach simply: "Detect early. Verify quickly. Intervene immediately. Stop wildfires before they become disasters."

Why drone swarms could be a gamechanger

Rather than relying on a single aircraft, AURA Foresight uses coordinated drone swarms that can launch remotely from distributed drone nests.

Once a potential wildfire has been detected, drones can be deployed to verify the threat, gather thermal and visual intelligence and support an early response.

Using multiple aircraft enables the system to cover larger areas, respond to multiple ignition points simultaneously and continue operating even as conditions evolve.

Sabine Hauert, Professor of Swarm Engineering at University of Bristol, described the technology as a "gamechanger" for future wildfire response.

During the XPRIZE final, DJI enterprise drones were equipped with thermal and visual cameras, as well as integrated drop mechanisms to autonomously release water balloons onto target areas.

The demonstration showcased how coordinated drone swarms could support initial suppression as part of a coordinated wildfire response.

Heliguy supplies enterprise rental fleet for Alaska demonstration

Preparing for the XPRIZE final required a substantial fleet of enterprise drones at short notice.

Heliguy supplied AURA Foresight with:

• Three DJI Matrice 400 drones

• Two DJI Matrice 350 RTK drones

• Two DJI Matrice 300 RTK drones

• DJI Zenmuse H30T, H20T and H20N payloads.

This enabled the team to integrate the platforms into its autonomous system without needing to purchase an additional fleet for a short-term project.

Sabine Hauert said: "We are extremely grateful to Heliguy for supplying the kit, which was integral to the demonstration."

The project highlights how drone rental can help research organisations, emergency services, and commercial operators quickly scale their capabilities for specialist trials, demonstrations, and time-critical projects.

Heliguy’s insurance partner Coverdrone also supported the project by providing insurance for complex operations, including beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flying and coordinated drone-swarm missions.

Built through international collaboration

AURA Foresight is a unique international collaboration bringing together AURA in the United Kingdom and Fire Foresight in Australia.

The consortium includes the University of Bristol, Bristol Robotics Laboratory, the University of Sheffield, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, Fire Foresight, SkyFly Drones, Southern Denmark University, Manchester University, Indicium Dynamics, Robotic Cats, Taz Drone Solutions and Little Place Labs.

Its approach is shaped by close collaboration with firefighters, emergency response professionals, and wildfire experts in the UK, Canada, and Australia - ensuring the technology addresses real operational challenges and integrates effectively into existing emergency response workflows.

By bringing together researchers, engineers, firefighters, and technology innovators from across the world, AURA Foresight is demonstrating how international collaboration can accelerate solutions to one of the world's most pressing climate challenges.

What's next?

XPRIZE Wildfire is moving into an Impact Phase, focused on translating promising technologies from both competition tracks into durable, deployable solutions for real-world wildfire management.

This next phase will include field trials, technology evaluation and knowledge sharing, with the aim of accelerating adoption and integration into operational use, particularly in areas at high risk from wildfires.

For AURA Foresight, the award provides further recognition of the potential for AI, advanced sensing and autonomous drone technology to support earlier wildfire detection and response.

For Heliguy, the project also demonstrates how rapid access to enterprise drone technology through rental can help innovative organisations test and demonstrate ambitious ideas at scale.

Summary

AURA Foresight's $500,000 XPRIZE Wildfire award highlights the potential for AI, autonomous drone swarms, and international collaboration to reshape the future of wildfire response.

Supported by a rental fleet of DJI enterprise drones and payloads supplied by Heliguy, the team demonstrated a system designed to detect, validate, and respond to wildfire ignitions while they are still small.

The project demonstrates how autonomous systems could support earlier intervention, while AURA Foresight's XPRIZE recognition marks an important milestone as the technology continues towards potential real-world deployment.