# Thermite RS3 at Los Angeles, California, USA: deployment

Canonical ID: `1ae86d81-65de-4c7f-a89a-4d3609af9629`

First domestic sale of the Thermite RS3 robotic firefighting vehicle to the Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD). First robotic firefighting vehicle in the United States.

**Trust tier:** Unverified

_Last updated: 2026-07-07_

- **Slug:** howe-thermite-rs3-los-angeles-california-usa
- **Status:** operational
- **Model:** [Thermite RS3](/models/howe-thermite-rs3.md) (id: `88993b14-49dc-467b-9521-e9d8642d46e9`)
- **Company:** [Howe & Howe](/companies/howe-and-howe.md) (id: `9a2c6a89-b9e8-4ff9-9c4d-b067ce4d92d1`)
- **Location:** [Los Angeles, California, USA](/locations/los-angeles-california-usa.md) (id: `a17dfb19-5a6a-41e4-aeda-8394d886cddf`)
- **First seen:** 2021-11-01T00:00:00.000Z

## Verification log (0, append-only)

_No verifications recorded._

## Sources (1)

1. **LAFD Debuts the RS3: First Robotic Firefighting Vehicle in the United States** · https://lafd.org/news/lafd-debuts-rs3-first-robotic-firefighting-vehicle-united-states · 2021-11-01

## Common questions

### What is the Thermite RS3 deployment at Los Angeles, California, USA?

Thermite RS3, built by Howe & Howe, is recorded as a deployment at Los Angeles, California, USA on the DEPLOY registry. Howe & Howe operates the deployment directly.

### Who operates Thermite RS3 at Los Angeles, California, USA?

Howe & Howe, the manufacturer of Thermite RS3, operates this deployment directly. This is a maker-deploys-its-own-product arrangement rather than a customer pilot.

### When did the Thermite RS3 deployment at Los Angeles, California, USA go live?

The deployment is recorded as starting November 1, 2021 on the DEPLOY registry. Earlier activity may exist but is not yet sourced.

### Have there been incidents at the Thermite RS3 deployment at Los Angeles, California, USA?

No active incidents affecting this deployment are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Absence of recorded incidents is not a guarantee no incident occurred; DEPLOY records only sourced incidents and suppresses retracted ones.


_API: GET /v1/robots/1ae86d81-65de-4c7f-a89a-4d3609af9629 · feeds: GET /v1/feeds?deploymentId=1ae86d81-65de-4c7f-a89a-4d3609af9629 · canonical URL: /deployments/howe-thermite-rs3-los-angeles-california-usa_