Throwflame TF-19 WASP Gen2: The Flamethrower Drone Attachment

The TF-19 WASP Gen2 is a self-contained flamethrower module that bolts under a heavy-lift drone and fires on command from your transmitter. It carries its own 1-gallon fuel tank and fuel pump, ignites with a plasma arc, and throws flame out to 30 feet — a 20% improvement over the Gen 1 unit. The body is 3K carbon fiber, which keeps empty weight to 5.08 lbs; with a full tank you are looking at roughly 10 lbs hanging off the airframe.

This is a working tool more than a range toy. The realistic use cases are agricultural burns, wildland fire management and backburn operations, power-line and right-of-way clearing, pest and nest removal (drone-mounted flame is one approach to hornet nests high in trees), and film special effects. If your job involves putting controlled fire somewhere a person can't safely stand, that is the niche this fills.

Because it is an attachment only, the total cost of a working setup is the $1,599 unit plus a drone in the DJI S1000 or Matrice 600 class — something rated for a 10 lb or greater payload. If you already operate a heavy-lift platform for spraying or lifting work, the WASP slots into that ecosystem. If you don't, factor the aircraft into your budget before comparing it against handheld options.

The core numbers: 30 ft maximum range, 100 seconds of total firing time per 1-gallon fill, 5.08 lbs empty and about 10 lbs fueled. It runs standard gasoline, optionally cut with up to 50% diesel. One honest limitation to note — unlike Throwflame's XL18 and X15, the WASP is not napalm compatible. It uses a fuel-pump delivery system, and it can't handle thickened fuel. If you need gelled-fuel burn characteristics, this isn't the tool.

Mounting is straightforward if your airframe supports it: the unit hangs from two 12mm x 500mm rods spaced roughly 195mm apart. Power comes from the host drone at 9-13V through an XT30 connector, and firing is controlled through a single PWM servo channel — so any spare channel on your radio can be mapped to the trigger. There is no separate battery to charge or maintain on the attachment itself.

• Price: $1,599, sold direct, in stock
• Range: 30 ft max (20% over Gen 1)
• Weight: 5.08 lbs empty, ~10 lbs with full 1-gallon tank
• Firing time: 100 seconds per fill
• Fuel: gasoline, up to 50% diesel mix; not napalm compatible
• Ignition: plasma arc
• Power: 9-13V from host drone via XT30; one PWM channel for firing
• Construction: 3K carbon fiber; mounts on two 12mm x 500mm rods (~195mm spacing)

On the flamethrower side, the legal picture is the same as for any other unit we cover: flamethrowers are federally unregulated and are not classified as firearms by the ATF. Maryland bans them outright. California requires a State Fire Marshal permit for any device with a range 10 feet or more, which at 30 feet the WASP clearly exceeds. No other state has a statewide statute on the books as of July 2026, though bills are pending in New York (S5853) and Illinois (HB0019) — pending, not law.

The drone side adds a layer that handhelds don't have. US operators generally need an FAA Part 107 waiver for dispensing operations before conducting this kind of work commercially. That waiver process is the real gatekeeper for most buyers, and it is worth understanding before the unit arrives, not after. Beyond the FAA, the usual best-effort advice applies: check your state and local burn regulations and any permit requirements for the specific work you are doing.

If your work can be done from the ground, a handheld unit is simpler and in most cases more capable per dollar. Throwflame's XL18 ($3,450) throws flame 110+ feet with a napalm mix — more than three times the WASP's reach — carries 3.3 gallons, and takes thickened fuel. The ARC ($699) and ARC Pro ($899) match the WASP's 30 ft range from an all-electric, 6 lb package at hundreds of dollars less, and like the WASP they are in stock, sold direct. The X15 ($1,699-$1,850) splits the difference with 50 ft of range and 60+ seconds of continuous fire.

What none of those can do is put fire where a person can't safely walk. Backburns on steep or unstable terrain, right-of-way clearing along energized power lines, nests 60 feet up a tree — that is where the WASP earns its price, and why it exists as a separate product rather than competing with the handhelds. The 100-second firing time per fill is generous for that kind of targeted work, and refueling means landing, not hiking back out.

Either way you land, the Throwflame lineup comes with the same terms: lifetime warranty and free UPS Ground shipping, sold direct with no dealer in the middle. Our take: buy the WASP because you need aerial ignition, not instead of a handheld — and if you're not sure which you need, you probably need the handheld.