AVIC drones help flood relief efforts in Guangxi

The Aviation Industry Corp of China, the nation's leading aircraft maker, said on Thursday that its Wing Loong 2 drones helped support flood relief efforts in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region by conducting disaster reconnaissance and restoring communications in areas isolated by severe flooding.

The State-owned conglomerate said that on July 6, following an order from the Ministry of Emergency Management, three Wing Loong 2 drones stationed in Guangdong, Hubei and Sichuan provinces were urgently dispatched to Guangxi to carry out disaster reconnaissance and emergency communication support missions.

At the time, surging floodwaters had completely surrounded numerous villages, while ground communications were fully disrupted, hampering search and rescue operations across many affected areas.

The Wing Loong 2 team based in Guangdong, the closest to the disaster zone, was the first to receive the deployment order. The team completed takeoff preparations within one hour. After weather conditions over the airport improved slightly, the drone took off despite strong winds and towering cumulonimbus clouds, heading directly to the disaster area.

The drone soon arrived over Hengzhou, Guangxi, transmitting the first batch of images from flood-hit areas to the ministry and providing critical information for rescue planning and deployment.

It then circled over the affected areas, serving as an airborne communications relay to restore information transmission.

AVIC quoted a local resident as saying online that his area had been without mobile phone service until the drone arrived, enabling him to reconnect with relatives outside the disaster zone.

Two additional Wing Loong 2 drones based in Sichuan and Hubei later took off on the night of July 6 and in the early morning of July 7 to join the emergency response.

According to Chen Bei, deputy chief engineer at AVIC Chengdu Unmanned Aerial Systems, the three drones operated under harsh weather conditions throughout the mission.

"Over nearly four days and nights, our drones conducted six long-duration flights in relay, accumulating a total flight time of nearly 70 hours. They delivered real-time images of disaster sites and restored communication networks for more than 90,000 affected residents and rescue personnel," Chen said.

"The drones returned to their bases after basic communications were established and ground rescue forces moved in to carry out on-site relief and evacuation operations.

"Currently, Wing Loong 2 drones are deployed in six provincial-level regions, boasting emergency support capabilities with nationwide coverage, rapid response and multipoint support," she said.

Since the start of this year's flood season, persistent heavy rainfall has battered multiple areas across Guangxi, with severe flooding ravaging villages and towns. The disasters caused roadbed collapses, power outages and damage to telecommunications facilities, leaving many communities cut off from road access, electricity and communications networks.

Developed by AVIC Chengdu Unmanned Aerial Systems, the Wing Loong 2 is a large civilian emergency response drone system designed for disaster reconnaissance, emergency communication support and emergency supply delivery.

The drone can be equipped with multiple payloads, including an electro-optical detection pod, a synthetic aperture radar, an aerial survey camera, an emergency communication support pod and an emergency delivery pod.

The aircraft is 10.8 meters long with a wingspan of 20.7 meters. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 4.2 metric tons and can carry up to seven payloads under its wings. Equipped with a communication pod, it can fly at speeds of up to 350 kilometers per hour and provide communications coverage for an area of more than 50 square kilometers, according to its designers.

zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn