High-tech wildfire hunting drones deployed in California with AI-powered thermal vision
Wildfire detection is getting a high-tech overhaul, with autonomous drones and AI-powered sensors now being trained to spot flames and launc

Wildfire detection is getting a high-tech overhaul, with autonomous drones and AI-powered sensors now being trained to spot flames and launch a response before a human firefighting crew can be deployed. California-based Anduril took first place in the autonomous-response track of the $11 million XPRIZE Wildfire competition, winning $1.2 million after putting its Lattice system through live-fire testing in June.
The defense-tech company also collected a $1 million Lockheed Martin bonus for accurate detection, bringing its total prize haul to $2.2 million. Sign up for the California Morning Report newsletter The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.
First reported by New York Post.
More in California
- UC Berkeley Lab Proposes New Civic Framework for California’s Next Governor
A research-driven agenda calls for institutionalizing 'co-governance' to address low public trust and lack of resident influence in state decision-making.
- Five Tax Measures on California’s Ballot Aim to Reshape State Finances
Propositions 3, 40–43 would alter income, wealth and local taxation rules—marking the highest number of tax measures on a general election ballot since 1994.
- Catalina Helicopter Crash Highlights Risks of Island Medevac Flights
A medical evacuation chopper carrying Catalina Romero, pilot, and nurse Jessica Devries crashed into the ocean shortly after takeoff, killing all three; federal investigators are assessing causes including night flying, spatial disorientation, and the island’s challenging Pebbly Beach heliport.


