I do agree with your assessment. The project caught my eye when watching the show because I specialize in UAVs and VTOLs, now only as a hobby. Back around the same time frame of 2015, we used drones (hexacopters and octocopters) with expensive multispectral cameras for checking agriculture, algae, and various inspections like rooftops and electric utility lines. Although the equipment was owned by a local college, I still have several of my own drones including a large DJI S900 hexacopter. In the 5 year span to 2020, the technology has changed so fast that it was difficult (and expensive) to keep up even when you were in that industry.
My first concern when seeing the Falcon Project was that it would never work on windy days. We have a similar issue when flying VTOLs that are part copter and part plane. A large blimp-like aircraft like the Falcon would get blown away with only small fans to control it.
Next, I saw that the project looked like it just stopped in its tracks. The Web site hasn't been updated since its inception and I can only find dated articles on it...much like your 2015 article. Yet, someone seems to be paying for the domain name (I also have my own) and host area to keep the files.
More recently, there have been suggestions of using a Parrot - ANAFI Thermal Drone for searching the surrounding woods. At only $1900, perhaps some field researchers could use it on a calm day. Much more capable, and expensive, solutions exist but it is still unknown what these creatures would do if they heard the whine of a drone overhead.
Cheers!