Lancashire Fire and Rescue Use Windracers ULTRA for wildfire prevention

Lancashire Fire and Rescue, which in 2018 spent 41 days battling a wildfire across 18 square kilometres of moorland near Bolton, has tested a swarm of self-coordinating drones for firefighting, as part of an effort to develop cost-effective early mitigation strategies for wildfires.

The project brought Lancashire Fire and Rescue together with Windracers, the British manufacturer of self-flying cargo aircraft, and some of the country’s most respected AI and robotics scientists based at the University of Bristol and the University of Sheffield. Together they have developed unique technology for autonomously detecting and suppressing fires before they spread into uncontrollable wildfires.

“The earlier we reach fires, the less harm they pose to firefighters, communities, infrastructure and the environment,” said Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service’s Chief Fire Officer, Justin Johnston.

Windracer ULTRA self-flying cargo aircraft, which have also been used to carry parcels to the Orkney Islands as well as collect scientific data in Antarctica, are each able to carry 100 kg of fire retardant. They can fly autonomously in a search pattern to monitor danger areas over the summer months, with a swarm of drones potentially covering areas the size of Greece.