China's Largest Comprehensive Emergency Rescue Aviation Exercise

Recently in Central China's Hubei Province, China organized the largest comprehensive emergency rescue aviation exercise, showcasing the country's advancements in independent aviation emergency rescue equipment. The exercise, organized by AVIC, covered disaster reconnaissance, situation monitoring, relay communication, precise firefighting, and medical rescue. It involved the use of various aircraft, including drones, firefighter aircraft, and helicopters, to demonstrate their capabilities in different emergency scenarios such as firefighting and medical rescue. One of the highlights was the participation of the AG600M firefighter aircraft, showcasing its ability to carry out firefighting tasks and its superior performance compared to international aircraft.

The exercise demonstrated the systematic achievements in China's independent aviation emergency rescue equipment, showcasing the capabilities of various aircraft in disaster reconnaissance, firefighting, and medical rescue. The drill involved the use of drones for real-time reconnaissance, along with firefighter aircraft and helicopters successfully carrying out water-dropping firefighting missions. The AG600M firefighter aircraft, with its maximum takeoff weight of 60 tons, displayed its ability to draw 12 tons of water in 20 seconds and release it upon fire in just four seconds. The exercise revealed the potential for the AG600M to be utilized not only for firefighting but also for medium- and long-range maritime aviation rescue missions, island-and-reef transportation, maritime law enforcement, and marine environment monitoring.

China's efforts in developing aviation equipment for emergency rescue were evident in the exercise, which featured different types of aircraft designated for specific emergency response tasks. The coordination of fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and drones was highlighted, demonstrating the role of modern aviation equipment in emergency rescue. Additionally, the domestically developed aircraft showcased excellent performance and rapid, precise responses in different emergency scenarios. The exercise is expected to serve as a basis for establishing a standard method for forest firefighting and training system as China plans to develop more aviation equipment suited to the country's development needs.