US Air Force Contracts With St. Louis’ WingXpand Detect and Prevent Wildfires

Jun. 20—The U.S. Air Force has contracted with WingXpand, a local aerospace startup, to help detect early signs of wildfires using an aircraft equipped with a smart computer.

Founded in April 2022 by Michelle Madaras and James Barbieri, WingXpand specializes in developing aerial drones that can employ artificial intelligence programs.

The company's unmanned 7-foot aircraft, small enough in its compact state to fit inside a backpack, will be further upgraded according to the $1.2-million contract with the Air Force Research Laboratory to withstand more rigorous conditions. According to a recent release from the company, the aircraft is now capable of flying for more than two hours while carrying two pounds of sensors for data collection.

The WingXpand team also plans to develop a fire-spotting software to be used with Edge AI, allowing the aircraft to interpret collected data on its own.

With these upgrades, WingXpand says the aircraft will be able to alert emergency services to wildfire threats more quickly and help initiate faster responses, ultimately preventing widespread damage.

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