Flamethrower attachments for drones now a reality

As if drones weren’t frightening enough, now they can be equipped with fire-spitting flamethrowers? Oh gawd.

Throwflame’s TF-19 WASP drone attachment is capable of shooting targets with flames from 25 feet away. Every gallon of fuel capacity will get you 100 seconds of firing time. 

According to Throwflame, the TF-19 WASP is made from carbon fiber and designed for drones with a five-pound payload capacity or more. In the video above, the flamethrower is shown mounted to a DJI S1000 drone.

“The WASP is built to withstand all sorts of conditions, both cold and hot,” claims the company’s product video.

A flamethrower mounted on a drone sounds dangerous AF in the wrong hands, but as scary as it looks, the WASP is really designed for industrial use.

Throwflame calls it “a game changer for clearing vital infrastructure, igniting remote vegetation, and eliminating pests.”

Other use cases for a flame-shooting drone, according to the company:

• Clear debris from power lines

• Pest management and nest elimination

• Forest fire containment back-burns / pre-burns

• Remote agriculture burns 

The catch (because there’s always one, right?) is the WASP costs a whopping $1,500 — and that’s without a drone. Add on the cost of a DJI S1000+ drone, which runs $1,500, and you’re looking at $3,000 for the full setup.

Needless to say, let’s leave this bad boy to the professionals. Please don’t build a flying weapon at home.