FireSwarm SAR Wasp (concept design)

(Image credit: FireSwarm Solutions)

SAR Wasp (concept design)
FireSwarm Solutions
Squamish, British Columbia, Canada
www.fireswarmsolutions.com

Founded in 2023, FireSwarm Solutions is in the business of designing and manufacturing autonomous emergency response long-endurance heavy-lift multirole hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drones for the advanced air mobility (AAM) industry. The company is headquartered in Squamish, British Columbia, Canada. 

The company entered the GoAERO competition with its emergency response eVTOL aircraft. The Team FireSwarm members included Alex Deslauriers, Melanie Bitner and David Thanh. Thanh pointed out that helicopters are not designed or equipped for SAR during wildfires. They have strict limitations when it comes to carrying both cargo and people. They can’t operate in small, tight areas, and they’re not always accessible or available. Although the team was not selected as a Stage 1 or Stage 2 prize winner, the project demonstrated the team's approach to emergency response aircraft design.

SAR Wasp autonomous heavy-lift multirole hybrid-electric VTOL drone (concept design)
The SAR Wasp is an autonomous heavy-lift long-endurance multirole emergency response hybrid-electric VTOL drone. The team designed the SAR Wasp for rapid deployment–under 15 minutes–and is highway-ready and towable. For the team's firefighting drone the drone has fire suppression technology.

The drone has four propellers, four electric motors and uses a hybrid-electric power source. The aircraft will carry a very long retractable tether able to pull and carry a person out of an extreme disasters such as a massive flooding zone or a fire zone. The drone has been designed to have radar, infrared cameras, advanced sensors and other state-of-the-art technologies. The fuselage is made from carbon fiber composite to give the aircraft a high strength to low weight ratio. The drone has fixed skid landing gear. 

Firefighting drone vision
The company's vision for their firefighting drone model is to have multiple drones prepositioned throughout a regional area or throughout an entire country at known fire-prone locations, during a fire season. All firefighting drones would be parked, fueled and would be ready for an immediate launch when a fire forest fire breaks out allowing a faster, safer and a more effective wildfire response.

About the GoAERO Prize Competition
The GoAERO Prize, sponsored by Boeing, is a three year competition (2024-2027) offering over $2 million USD in prizes that challenges engineers worldwide to create portable, versatile and autonomy-enabled Emergency Response Aircraft that address not only everyday medical emergencies but also to be used in natural disasters, humanitarian emergencies and climate crises worldwide. Each team designs and builds autonomous Emergency Response aircraft capable of delivering a first responder, medical equipment and supplies and ultimately evacuating victims in need to a rescue ambulance or hospital.

More than 150 teams from around the globe are competing for the GoAero prizes. The GoFly and GoAERO prizes were developed by Boeing, NASA and other organizations to help the nascent advanced air mobility (AAM) industry move forward.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: Multi-role heavy-lift cargo hybrid-electric VTOL drone (concept design)
• Piloting: AI assisted autonomous piloting
• Cruise speed: Unknown
• Propellers: 4 propellers
• Electric motors: 4 electric motors
• Power source: Hybrid-electric power source
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
• Landing gear: Fixed skid landing gear
• Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) uses multiple propellers or electric ducted fans, each powered by electric motors, to increase safety through redundancy. If one or more components fail, the remaining ones can still ensure a safe landing. There are also redundancies of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft providing safety through redundancy. Having multiple redundant systems on any aircraft decreases having any single point of failure. The aircraft has no moving surfaces or tilting parts when transitioning from vertical to forward flight and the reverse which increases safety by reducing complexity.

Company Insights:

• CB Insights
• Pitchbook

Resources:

• FireSwarm Solutions website
• FireSwarm Solutions Facebook
• FireSwarm Solutions YouTube
• FireSwarm Solutions Instagram
• FireSwarm Solutions X (Formerly Twitter)
• FireSwarm Solutions LinkedIn
• Article: Firefighting drones could change the way B.C. fights wildfires, especially during the night, Vancouver Sun, Apr. 23, 2026
• Article: Wildland firefighting drones are being tested in B.C., Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Apr. 28, 2025
• Article: Meet the Teams: Team FireSwarm, GoAERO, July 30, 2025
• Video: Indigenous Wildfire Response Innovation: FireSwarm + Cheslatta | CXL Fire Grand Challenge Finalists, FireSwarm Solutions, Inc., Dec. 22, 2025
• Video: FireSwarm Solutions Explained: Wildfire Suppression & Support with Ultra Heavy-Lift Drone Systems, FireSwarm Solutions, Inc., Jan. 17, 2025
• Article: Aerial firefighting by swarm, Skies Magazine, May 25, 2026