---
title: "Chinese 'aircraft carrier' for firefighting: how a swarm of 10 drones saves forests in 60 seconds"
description: "China has presented a mobile base-aircraft carrier for extinguishing forest fires. 🚒🇨🇳 The truck lifts a swarm of 10 drones into the air in 60 seconds, which drop \"water bombs\" directly into the fire source. 🚁💦 This allows fires to be localized within the first 15 minutes and saves forests from complete destruction."
date: 2026-07-16T14:35:13.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/chinese-aircraft-carrier-for-firefighting-swarm-of-drones
tags: [china, drones, firefighting, technology, bpl]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Chinese 'aircraft carrier' for firefighting: how a swarm of 10 drones saves forests in 60 seconds

![Chinese fire truck with a platform for launching a swarm of 10 drones to fight forest fires](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/16/kitayskiy-avianosets-dlya-tusheniya-pozharov-roy-dronov/kitayskiy-avianosets-dlya-tusheniya-pozharov-roy-dronov-1.webp)

China has unveiled a breakthrough technological complex that is changing the approach to fighting forest fires. This is not just a truck with equipment, but a full-fledged mobile base-aircraft carrier capable of launching a swarm of ten heavy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into the air in seconds. The new system is designed for rapid response in inaccessible mountainous areas where traditional firefighting equipment cannot penetrate.

### Mobile command center and aircraft carrier in one

The robotic complex developed in China is a fully autonomous platform based on a cargo truck. Inside the cargo body are automated launch pads, retractable hatches, and express charging systems. The main feature of the machine is the speed of deployment: from the moment of arrival at the site to the takeoff of the entire group of drones, no more than 60 seconds pass.

According to international emergency rescue standards, speed is the critical factor. Localizing a fire within the first 15–20 minutes reduces the final costs of eliminating the emergency and environmental damage by more than 80%. The Chinese development allows fitting into this "golden hour" even in the most remote locations.

### Swarm tactics: reconnaissance, strike, and replacement

The onboard air squadron of ten drones is not a uniform set. To optimize firefighting tactics, the devices are divided into three functional groups:

- **Reconnaissance UAVs:** Equipped with multispectral optoelectronic systems, thermal imagers, and lidars. Their task is to scan the smoky terrain, determine the exact coordinates of the focus using GPS/Beidou, and assess wind direction.

- **Strike multirotors:** Heavy industrial drones with increased payload capacity. They carry firefighting equipment on board and perform the actual drop.

- **Reserve UAVs:** Ready on board the platform for instant replacement of devices that have exhausted their battery charge, ensuring the continuity of the operation.

### "Water bomb" technology against evaporation

The key technical solution by Chinese engineers was to abandon the classic spraying of water from a height. During intense fires, fine moisture often evaporates in updrafts of hot air before it even reaches the fire source.

To solve this problem, specialized thin-walled composite capsules, unofficially called "water bombs," are used. Their principle of operation is as follows:

- **Targeted drop:** The strike drone hovers over the point determined by the scout and drops the capsule.

- **No losses:** The hermetic shell delivers the extinguishing agent directly to the burning materials, eliminating evaporation along the way.

- **Localization:** Upon impact or under the influence of critical temperature, the capsule breaks, releasing from 20 to 30 liters of highly concentrated foam or powder. The reagent covers an area of up to 10 square meters, isolating the fuel from oxygen.

### Safety and efficiency

The use of an unmanned swarm radically changes the risk balance. The mobile platform can be deployed at a safe distance from the disaster zone, controlling the process remotely. This minimizes the threat to the firefighters' personnel, eliminating the need to send them into dangerous zones of crown forest fires. The combination of high deployment speed, accurate reconnaissance, and an effective method of delivering extinguishing agents makes the new Chinese complex one of the most promising tools in modern fighting against natural disasters.