The UAE has officially launched Suhail, a pioneering jet-powered firefighting drone that’s designed to tackle fires faster and more efficiently — especially in areas that are hard to reach. Revealed at the UAE Pavilion during Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, Suhail is the first of its kind globally and highlights the UAE’s commitment to innovation in emergency response.

Suhail is a product of collaboration between the Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority and UAE-based Drone First Building Services. This next-generation drone combines jet propulsion with advanced technologies like AI-powered LiDAR, computer vision, and 3D scanning. The result is a tool capable of mapping complex environments in real time, identifying fire zones, and avoiding obstacles with pinpoint accuracy.

 

Built for vertical take-off and stability in challenging conditions, Suhail is designed to operate in tight urban areas, upper floors of high-rises, and locations that traditional firefighting equipment struggles to access. The goal is to significantly reduce response times and improve safety for both emergency teams and civilians.

After undergoing a series of successful trials with Civil Defence teams in the UAE, Suhail is expected to officially enter service in 2025. The innovation doesn’t stop there — Sharjah Civil Defence has also announced plans to deploy firefighting drones in high-rise emergencies beginning the same year.

This is a notable shift in how emergency services can respond to urban challenges, and Suhail could be just the beginning of broader changes in the field.