China deploys large UAV to support emergency rescue in typhoon-hit region

BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's large civil unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Wing Loong-2H has been deployed to support the emergency rescue in east China's Fujian Province, which has been affected by Typhoon Doksuri, according to its developer.

The Wing Loong-2H large UAV has rushed to Fujian to carry out the meteorological and disaster monitoring mission, which was assigned by the Ministry of Emergency Management, said the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country's leading planemaker.

It monitored the water level, building damages, and other disaster conditions caused by the typhoon to multiple cities across Fujian. It collected and sent back real-time high-definition images and visual data of meteorological information, which sustained the efficient commanding and precision management for emergency rescue authorities, said the AVIC.

Typhoon Doksuri made landfall in Fujian on Friday morning and brought powerful winds and heavy rain to multiple cities of the coastal province.

To meet demands from the disaster rescue, the Wing Loong-2H took off at Lantian Airport in Zigong City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on early Sunday morning. The mission lasted more than 11 hours with a total flight range exceeding 3,000 km.

A member of China's Wing Loong large civil UAV family, the Wing Loong-2H is developed by the AVIC to serve the country's demands in strengthening emergency rescue capabilities.

The Wing Loong-2H features multiple attributes such as long range, long endurance, high payload and strong environmental adaptability, thus making it possible to serve diverse missions in extreme disaster-hit regions where traffic, power supply and network communications are disrupted, according to the AVIC.

This large civil UAV model is capable of operating in strong winds, and can serve emergency relief and rescue missions such as disaster survey, emergency communications support and supplies delivery.

Prior to the latest mission, the Wing Loong-2H had already successfully carried out various disaster relief missions under extreme conditions. It had been deployed to support emergency communications in rainstorm-hit Henan Province in 2021 and the 6.8-magnitude earthquake-struck Sichuan last year.

Besides the Wing Loong-2H, diverse other models of the Wing Loong large civil UAV family had also shown their capabilities and adaptabilities in serving missions such as telecommunications restoration, marine meteorological observation, and ecological protection, among others.

The AVIC is committed to continuously helping enhance the country's air emergency rescue system and capabilities, and sustaining people's livelihood and well-being, said the Chinese planemaker.