The UK wants to combine AI with satellites and military aircraft

Date:
Thu, 05 Nov 2026 13:22:17 +0000

Description:
The UK is preparing for wildfires to get worse, and AI is now a part of the picture.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter The UK government is planning
to set up a new arm of it's emergency response committee to help fight wildfires After the UK's hottest summer on record, firefighting crews were left under equipped to fight wildfires covering thousands of acres Satellite imagery, AI, and military aircraft armed with firefighting equipment are expected to be part of the new wildfire response Following plans to build a 100 million AI Biosecurity Lab and plans to turn the UK into a global AI powerhouse , the UK is now looking at how AI can help detect and fight wildfires after a summer of extreme heat.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is expected to reveal plans for a new AI arm
of the cabinets crisis-management committee, COBRA, at a resilience summit hosted at the National Situation Centre on Friday.

The new wildfire AI unit will combine satellite imagery with early detection systems offering firefighters faster response times, with military planes and helicopters to be made available to help tackle blazes in hard to reach
areas. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: (Image credit: Shutterstock) AI satellites to spot wildfires Several tech and aerospace companies are expected to be in attendance at the announcement of the plans - including Google , Airbus and VodafoneThree - with the government saying the AI unit will help spot and fight fires faster.

Top universities and tech firms are expected to help the AI unit develop new tools to be used to detect potential wildfires across the country, while
Royal Air Force aircraft will have firefighting equipment sourced to help respond to wildfire outbreaks in remote or hard to reach areas. You may like The UK government wants to invest 100 million in a world first AI Biosecurity Lab OpenAI and Anthropic to supply 200 million in credits to help safeguard national security New drone system which could spot wildfires before they get out of control completes its first test but is it too late for the summer blazes plaguing Europe? Google and the UK government are looking to remove aircraft contrails using AI

As the threat of wildfires in the UK grows, defense will step up to provide greater support to our emergency services and protect military training areas across the country, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said. This will see the RAFs Chinook helicopters and A400M aircraft equipped with new specialist firefighting equipment to enable them to tackle wildfires from the skies for the first time

The UK faced an unprecedented number of wildfires during its hottest summer
on record, with thousands of acres of wildlands destroyed, a nationwide emergency alert broadcast, and a wildfire that burned kilometers away from
the Sizewell B nuclear power station. Get daily insight, inspiration and
deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. How can AI detect wildfires? Airbus already operates a fleet of early-detection satellites that are capable of measuring the dryness of forests and detect tiny heat signatures from space in
near-real time.

Earlier this year, NASA launched the first satellite with an AI geospatial foundation model on board into space .

The open-source Prithvi model - developed in collaboration with IBM - can detect flooding, wildfires, and landslides, alongside quantifying biomass, classifying specific crops, and measuring canopy heights to help with predicting how wildfires develop and spread.

There is the obvious contradiction here that AI is being used to solve problems that AI is contributing towards. Many AI firms are turning to fossil fuels for energy as supply lags behind the demand of the AI boom, but a
recent report has found that 80% of AI data centers are constructed in
natural disaster zones - so are AI firms helping to protect the world, or
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/ai-platforms-assistants/the-uk-wants-to-combine-ai-w ith-satellites-and-military-aircraft-to-spot-and-fight-fires-faster-and-its-ex actly-what-ai-should-have-been-used-for-all-along


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