Team FireSwarm Advances as One of Five Finalists In Autonomous Track of the $11M XPRIZE Wildfire Competition

Canadian autonomous aerial systems company FireSwarm Solutions and its partners move forward in global competition to accelerate wildfire detection and suppression technologies.

Published on Feb. 4, 2026

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FireSwarm Solutions Inc., a Canadian autonomous aerial systems company, has advanced to the finals of the Autonomous Wildfire Response Track in the $11 million XPRIZE Wildfire competition. Working with its partners as Team FireSwarm Solutions, the team 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.

Why it matters

The XPRIZE Wildfire competition is designed to accelerate breakthrough technologies for the detection and suppression of catastrophic wildfires, which have become an increasingly urgent global challenge. FireSwarm's advancement to the finals validates that autonomous, coordinated aerial response is no longer a future concept, but a viable solution to help limit wildfire spread and reduce carbon emissions while strengthening first responders' ability to safeguard lives, homes, infrastructure and resources.

The details

Team FireSwarm Solutions 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. 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 Solutions was recognized in February 2026 following a year of rigorous in-field testing and evaluation.
  • 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.

The players

FireSwarm Solutions Inc.

A Canadian autonomous aerial systems company and the original applicant to the XPRIZE Wildfire competition.

David Thanh

The COO of FireSwarm Solutions.

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.

Trident Sensing

A company that brings its 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

A company that 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.

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What they’re saying

“Our focus from day one has been operational readiness. 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.”

— David Thanh, COO, FireSwarm Solutions (BusinessInsider.com)

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.

The takeaway

The advancement of Team FireSwarm Solutions to the finals of the XPRIZE Wildfire competition demonstrates the growing viability of autonomous aerial systems to augment human firefighting crews and help limit the spread of catastrophic wildfires, which have become an increasingly urgent global challenge.