In a development that could help with emergency preparedness for the cyclone-prone region of Southern Africa, a drone in China has successfully conducted typhoon warning reconnaissance for the first time in the country, according to its manufacturer.
News agency Xinhua reported that the Wing Loong unmanned aerial vehicle – made by aerospace company Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) – executed a series of tasks, including pre-typhoon warning reconnaissance and post-typhoon disaster assessment, as Typhoon Wipha swept across southern China this week, as narrated by the manufacturer.
As the typhoon approached the coast of western Guangdong, the aircraft managed to navigate through extreme conditions, including strong winds and torrential rain, to provide critical early warning information and pinpoint disaster locations ahead of the storm's landfall.
The UAV's onboard synthetic aperture radar penetrated thick cloud and rain barriers to conduct real time surveillance of key areas, the drone maker claimed.
The acquired reconnaissance data and imagery were transmitted immediately to the provincial emergency command center, providing vital information for assessing disaster risks, deploying defensive measures, and formulating flood control strategies, said AVIC.
Following the typhoon's path, the drone had to contend with extremely low visibility but successfully identified critical situations, including flooded roads and farmlands, as well as rising river levels.
This information facilitated the deployment of rescue teams, the clearing of vital access routes, and the assessment of potential disaster areas.
It is also worth noting that, aside from everything else it does pre-and post-natural disaster, the drone was additionally equipped with an airborne base station, which enabled it to deliver stable, wide-area public communication network coverage to affected regions.
It successfully facilitated the delivery over 6,000 text messages, establishing a crucial "aerial lifeline" connecting the disaster zone with the outside world, according to AVIC.
Prior to the recent typhoon mission, Wing Loong had already successfully carried out multiple disaster-relief missions under extreme conditions, such as earthquakes and rainstorm disasters.
We think it is important to add that we wish the long-range surveillance drone could stick to just the humanitarian, life saving and other commercial purposes – but we are not blind to the fact that this really expensive drone does possess some really deadly military capabilities.
But we reckon that as the cyclone season progressively gets more frequent and destructive in Southern Africa, technologies like this Wing Loong drone would be needed to warn people residing in the path of disaster, agencies responsible for disaster recovery and preventive efforts, as well as the responsible state actors so they can act early.
The cyclones in the region have been very deadly in recent years, with the countries of Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi bearing the brunt. Hundreds of people have lost their lives while thousands more lost property and livelihoods.
With early warning, they may have been able to salvage something and moved out of harm’s way.