Yes, you can now get a devastating flame-throwing drone straight to your doorstep thanks to one company’s strides forward in the field of flying fire contraptions!
This is the Throwflame TF-19 Wasp.
The TF-19 Wasp boasts a series of fantastical features which will leave you more than likely hoping that you will never have to encounter one for fear of taking more than just your eyebrows off!
It can fire up to 25 feet, and more!
The TF-19 can shoot a jet of flames over 25 feet away and boasts a gas tank capable of holding up to a gallon of fuel. This means that you can fire flames for 100 straight seconds!
The flamethrower itself is made from lightweight 3K carbon fiber and can be bought separately as an attachment to other drones.
The flamethrower drone attachment is said to be for agricultural purposes.
On the company’s website , the product description reads:
“The TF-19 WASP is a drone flamethrower attachment designed for remote ignition of aerial and ground targets, bringing new levels of efficiency and manageability to agriculture.”
And, according to a promotional video that the company released, “The WASP is built to withstand all sorts of conditions, both cold and hot”.
The company claims that the flamethrower has a wide range of uses.
The company’s promotional video goes on to showcase the Wasp’s talents by having it burn through a wasp’s nest on camera. According to the video, the Wasp is a “game-changer for clearing vital infrastructure, igniting remote vegetation, and eliminating pests.”
Throwflame also say that the drone will be useful in combating forest fires.
Yes, that may seem a little ridiculous on the surface; however, the drone can be used for controlled burns. Throwflame’s hovering petrol spitter will apparently help firefighters to avoid navigating difficult terrain:
“Forest fire management and prevention is both costly and dangerous. Wildland fire fighting crews can avoid difficult terrain and adverse conditions while utilizing the TF-19 WASP drone flamethrower system to ignite remote controlled burns.”
While it is said to be for industrial purposes, almost anyone can purchase this.
The drone is federally legal as it is apparently not considered a weapon; however, the company’s website makes sure to emphasize that people purchasing the Wasp “are still required to comply with the FAA’s UAS rules in addition to local ordinances.”
There is also no age restriction on this item. Although, the New York Post claims that it will soon be made law by the FAA that drone operators must, “pass an online aeronautical knowledge and safety test and carry proof of test passage.”
However, this item is far from cheap!
If you want to purchase the Wasp flamethrower attachment on its own and attach it to your own drone, then that will cost you $1,499. Furthermore, the company’s website recommends the DJI Spreading Wings S1000+ drone to use in combination with your flamethrower, which costs roughly similar $1,400.
So, while it may unsettle you to think that this fire shooting flying cannon may be whizzing past your window as your neighbor tries to use it to light their BBQ from the other end of the garden, the quite substantial price tag makes it a little unlikely for most of us.
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Flamethrowers are largely legal in the US.
One of the most recent companies to make a petrol-scented splash in the flamethrower business was Elon Musk’s “Boring” company, who released their cutely named “Not-A-Flamethrower” flamethrower.
The product had a $500 price tag and created quite a considerable amount of publicity for Musk’s company.
Drone use has caused quite a controversy over the last few years.
With drone technology becoming more widely accessible, there have naturally been a few people using them for less than virtuous purposes.
In fact, the UK Police force recently implemented a unit specifically designed to combat the misuse of drones, including amongst other uses, the transport of drugs into prisons, according to Metro .
Hopefully, this specific device will remain in the hands of the professionals.
While there is a part of me that cannot escape the fact that I am positively desperate to have a go at one of these flame-throwing drones, I’m fairly relieved that I will likely never get a chance to use one. I simply don’t trust myself not to take all of the hair off my head by accident, and I don’t know how much I trust anyone on my street not to do the same, or worse.
h/t: The New York Post & YouTube
