Are PFT’s drones being used to start fires?

Yes, and here's why:

Parallel Flight Technologies is currently running flight tests with our heavy-lift test drone, "The Big Mule," and the IGNIS system from Drone Amplified. This work is being done as part of our grant from the USDA, which was given to support development of a large-scale unmanned prescribed fire solution for the US Forest Service.

Watch the video of a recent test flight below:

What is IGNIS?
IGNIS is a complete system that integrates with drones and carries a payload of chemical spheres. In real-world applications, these balls are ignited on command, sparking prescribed fires in the exact area where the sphere is dropped. In the above flight test video, the balls were not ignited, but you can see them dropping directly below the drone. This is important because it validates that the ignited spheres will land in the intended location.

Why is Parallel Flight involved in this application?
The flight tests with IGNIS are being done as part of our grant work for the USDA. The goal is to partner with Drone Amplified to develop a large-scale prescribed fire solution for the US Forest Service. Prescribed fires, also called controlled burns or controlled ignition, are a key land management tool that help prevent wildland fires by eliminating fuels on the forest floor.

When integrated into an all-electric drone, the IGNIS system can drop about 400 incendiary balls at a time. Parallel Flight Technologies' drone has enough lift capacity for 3,500 balls, allowing a significantly larger coverage area per flight.

Why is this important?
This work is incredibly important to us because it is one example of how our technology will be used to save lives, property and the environment. This land management solution can play a huge role in controlling and preventing wildfires. Tragically, a number of helicopter pilots have died doing controlled burns, as it is a low and slow operation with no room to recover. Using drones will not only lower the cost of land management to prevent large-scale wildfires, but also prevent helicopter accidents.

What's next?
We'll be testing our beta-level drone with the IGNIS system in real-world conditions in the very near future, and we look forward to delivering a solution in 2022.