DEPLOYDatabase

Robot model

Thermite RS3

The Thermite RS3 is Howe & Howe's remote-controlled firefighting robot, delivering high-flow fire suppression, situational awareness, and standoff capability…

Manufacturer
Howe & Howe
Form factor
other
Maturity
commercial
Lifecycle
active
Deployments
1

The verified answer

As of Aug 2026, DEPLOY verifies Thermite RS3, a other by Howe & Howe (commercial): 1 verified deployment on record. 2 sources back the record.

Overview

The Thermite RS3 is Howe & Howe's remote-controlled firefighting robot, delivering high-flow fire suppression, situational awareness, and standoff capability for hazardous fires; the line has since extended to the electric Thermite EV2.

Verified vs. claimed

Maturity stage
commercial(Commercially deployed with revenue-generating operations.)
Sources on file
View all sources →

Key facts

Robot

Thermite line of remote-controlled firefighting robots (RS3, EV2)

Focus

Unmanned ground vehicles for fire suppression and hazardous environments

Country

US

Products

Thermite RS3 (firefighting robot), RIPSAW M5 (military UGV)

Deployments

Los Angeles City Fire Department (Thermite RS3), U.S. Army RCV program (RIPSAW M5)

Specs

Class

firefighting ground robot

Control

teleoperated

Height cm

162.6

Max speed

8 mph

Weight kg

272.2

Walk speed ms

2.7

To scale

Human175 cmThermite RS3162.6 cm (5'4") · 272.2 kg

Data & sources

Press releases

1

Web sources

1

2 sources backing this record.View all →

Pricing

No verified price is on record for Thermite RS3. Physical-AI systems are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price.

Deployments (1)

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

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Thermite RS3 on the deployment map

View the global map

Where Thermite RS3 is verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.

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Recent activity

Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.

Full change history →

Safety record

No incidents on record for Thermite RS3.

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Sources (2)

  1. https://www.howeandhowe.com/civil/thermite
  2. https://www.howeandhowe.com/sites/default/files/_documents/Thermite%20RS-3_DataSheet_012721%20(1).pdf

Common questions

What is Thermite RS3?
The Thermite RS3 is Howe & Howe's remote-controlled firefighting robot, delivering high-flow fire suppression, situational awareness, and standoff capability for hazardous fires; the line has since extended to the electric Thermite EV2.
How much does Thermite RS3 cost?
Thermite RS3's price is not publicly disclosed. DEPLOY has no verified price on record for Thermite RS3 from Howe & Howe. Physical-AI systems like this are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price; check the manufacturer for the latest.
Is Thermite RS3 actually deployed in the real world?
Yes. Thermite RS3 is independently verified in real-world operation on the DEPLOY registry, confirmed at named deployment sites with primary sources: not a concept, render, or demo-only.
What are the specs of Thermite RS3?
Thermite RS3's recorded specifications on the DEPLOY registry: Height: 162.6; Max speed: 8 mph; Weight: 272.2. See the Specs section for the full sourced set.
Who makes Thermite RS3?
Thermite RS3 is made by Howe & Howe, based in Waterboro, ME, USA, founded in 2001.
Where is Thermite RS3 deployed?
1 verified deployment of Thermite RS3 is on the DEPLOY registry, including at Los Angeles.
Can you buy Thermite RS3?
Thermite RS3 is in commercial deployment and is sold to operators; contact the manufacturer to buy, and see the pricing section for any recorded price.
What are alternatives to Thermite RS3?
On the DEPLOY registry, comparable other robots to Thermite RS3 include 10Beauty Manicure System, PillPick, Gravis Autonomous Excavator System, Hadrian Autonomous Factory.
How does Thermite RS3 compare to 10Beauty Manicure System?
Thermite RS3 and 10Beauty Manicure System (10Beauty · 6 deployments) are both other robots on the DEPLOY registry. Thermite RS3 has 1 verified deployment on record. Compare both records for specs, safety, deployments, and verified-vs-claimed autonomy.
Is Thermite RS3 a top other?
On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, safety, adoption, media, and IP signals, Thermite RS3 ranks in roughly the top 30% of other models tracked by the registry.
What is Thermite RS3's maturity stage?
Thermite RS3 is at the commercial stage on the DEPLOY maturity ladder (research, prototype, pilot, commercial, production). Commercial stage means production-grade deployments are operating at named customer sites.
Is Thermite RS3 safe?
Thermite RS3 has no incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. This does not constitute a safety guarantee; it reflects the incidents DEPLOY has tracked and verified to date.
What is the Thermite RS3 firefighting robot?
The Thermite RS3 (manufactured by Textron/Howe and Howe Technologies) is a compact, low-center-of-gravity, industrial robotic firefighting vehicle. It is the most capable, durable, and reliable firefighting robot on the market. The LAFD debuted the RS3 as the first robotic firefighting vehicle in the United States.
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-16

Verification posture

Verified

High confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-08-16

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: commercial

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: other

Sources by quality tier

1
unclassified
Unclassified source
1
primary-company-ir
Company IR disclosure

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Thermite RS3.

Recent coverage

Thermite RS3 in third-party press