Canadian-led alliance earns finalist status in a global challenge accelerating autonomous wildfire detection and suppression
SQUAMISH, British Columbia, Feb. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FireSwarm Solutions Inc., a Canadian autonomous aerial systems company and the original applicant to the XPRIZE Wildfire competition, today announced it has advanced to the finals of the Autonomous Wildfire Response Track in collaboration with its partners as Team FireSwarm Solutions. The $11 million global competition is designed to accelerate breakthrough technologies for the detection and suppression of catastrophic wildfires.
Team FireSwarm Solutions was recognized following a year of rigorous in-field testing and evaluation, earning a share of $750,000 in finalist prize funding for demonstrated technical readiness, system integration, and operational scalability. The finalists were announced at an official XPRIZE event hosted at Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) headquarters in Oakland, California.
Wildfire Response as a Complete System: Working Together to Lower Barriers to AdoptionFireSwarm Solutions, together with its partners, delivers an autonomous, drone-agnostic wildfire detection and suppression platform that combines infrared sensing, swarm intelligence, and ultra-heavy-lift drones to rapidly localize and respond to fires in complex, environmentally challenging terrain.
“Our focus from day one has been operational readiness,” said FireSwarm Solutions COO, David Thanh. “Wildfires don’t wait for perfect conditions, and first responders need systems that can respond quickly, safely, and reliably. Advancing to the XPRIZE Wildfire finals validates that autonomous, coordinated aerial response is no longer a future concept.”
Advancing through rigorous evaluation and 2025 live field trials, the team progressed from 15 semifinalists to one of just five finalists, demonstrating end-to-end autonomous capability across detection, navigation, safety, suppression, and scalability.
Team FireSwarm Partners and Capabilities
- FireSwarm Solutions is the solution integrator with dynamic mission planning, which enables multiple aircraft and ground sensor platforms to collect information. Our Swarm algorithm directs aircraft for early detection and suppression autonomously.
- ACC Innovation ThunderWasp, a first-of-its-kind ultra-heavy-lift, jet-engine-powered quadcopter, that can pick up and drop off up to 400 kg or 100 gallons of water from natural and human-made sources. Coupled with the FireSwarm Fire Mission Kit, the Thunder Wasp attacks spot fires fully autonomously.
- Trident Sensing
brings their game-changing TACFIRS under-wing mounted pod, able to detect and geolocate early-stage wildfires without the use of complex and costly gimbaled cameras. - ExoDrone
brings its operational experience with lower altitude, high endurance, long-range VTOL overwatch solution layer to detect at a closer range and confirm early readings. - Solaris Suborbital
brings a 3rd-generation high altitude long endurance platform built for satellite sensors, running in live video mode, and provides a persistent early detection layer. - SenseNet
SenseNet integrates its AI Optical and Thermal Imaging with a proprietary mesh network of climate detection sensors, to locate and track wildfires at their earliest stage. It offers physical AI for end-to-end detection, prediction, and situational awareness.
Together, these systems form a complete, autonomous wildfire response network that supports and augments human firefighting crews. Team FireSwarm’s solution aims to enable rapid, coordinated detection and response to help limit wildfire spread and reduce carbon emissions— while strengthening first responders’ ability to safeguard lives, homes, infrastructure and resources.
What’s Next?
In summer 2026, Team FireSwarm Solutions will compete in the final testing round in Alaska, where finalist teams have 10 minutes to autonomously detect and suppress a high-risk fire in a 1,000 km2, environmentally challenging area, leaving any decoy fires untouched.
About FireSwarm Solutions Inc.
FireSwarm Solutions Inc. is a Canadian company developing autonomous aerial systems for wildfire suppression and emergency response. Founded in response to firsthand experience with wildfire loss, FireSwarm works alongside wildfire professionals to build technology designed for real-world adoption, operational safety, and scalable deployment in the face of increasingly unpredictable threats.
FireSwarm is advancing a future where autonomous systems augment human crews, shorten response times, and help safeguard communities, infrastructure, and ecosystems.
For more information, please visit www.xprize.org/wildfire.
About XPRIZE
XPRIZE is the recognized global leader in designing and executing large-scale competitions to solve humanity's greatest challenges. For over 30 years, our unique model has democratized crowd-sourced innovation and scientifically scalable solutions that accelerate a more equitable and abundant future. Donate, learn more, and co-architect a world of abundance with us at xprize.org.
Media Contact: Melanie Bitner Co Founder and CMO FireSwarm Solutions Inc. Email: melanieb@fireswarmsolutions.com
