Published in “China Emergency Management” | Duct‑fan drones forge a new, intelligent emergency‑response capability for rescue operations.

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From Support to Main Combat: Building a Drone‑Based Smart Emergency Rescue System

Opportunities and Challenges of the New Landscape

Abstract: This paper delves into the current state of development of large unmanned aerial vehicles, including ducted‑fan drones, and systematically analyzes the application opportunities of UAVs in scenarios such as fire‑fighting and rescue, logistics delivery, emergency communications, and medical transport. It identifies key challenges facing UAVs today—namely, the need to upgrade propulsion performance, the absence of comprehensive airworthiness standards, and insufficient levels of intelligence—and outlines future directions for the deep integration of “UAV + smart technologies.” The aim is to provide both theoretical underpinnings and practical pathways to facilitate a fundamental shift in UAV capabilities—from auxiliary support to primary operational roles across all mission domains—ultimately contributing to the establishment of an efficient, intelligent new paradigm for urban emergency response.

Keywords: Ducted Fan, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Emergency Rescue, New Paradigm

Abstract: This paper examines the current development of large unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs),particularly ducted fan UAV,and systematically analyzes their application in scenarios such as firefighting, material delivery, emergency communication, and medical transport. It identifies critical challenges, including power performance limitations, the lack of airworthiness standards, and insufficient level of intelligence. Furthermore, the study envisions the future trajectory of deep integration between UAVs and smart technologies. Ultimately, it provides theoretical support and practical pathways for transitioning UAVs from auxiliary tools to primary forces across all scenarios, aiming to establish a highly efficient and intelligent new paradigm for urban emergency rescue.

Keywords: Ducted fan; unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); emergency rescue; new paradigm

0 Introduction

In December 2025, the National Development and Reform Commission issued “The Statistical Classification of the Low-Altitude Economy and Its Core Industries (Trial)” for the first time clearly defines the concept of the low-altitude economy and delineates its industrial boundaries, providing an authoritative basis for the standardized development and precise statistical monitoring of China’s low-altitude economy. As China’s low-altitude economic strategy is implemented and its emergency management system continues to improve, the emergency‑rescue drone industry is entering a period of rapid growth [1].

Currently, the application scenarios for emergency rescue drones are categorized as follows: Two major categories. First, in野外 and open‑environment settings, large unmanned aerial vehicles have become primary combat assets (primary combat assets are… Refers to the ability, in emergency rescue operations, to act independently or as part of… Core units are critical assets that undertake primary combat missions such as assault, breakthrough, suppression, and delivery, serving as the decisive force that directly impacts the efficiency and effectiveness of rescue operations. For example, when transporting emergency relief supplies over long distances, large unmanned helicopters offer distinct advantages over conventional ground-based equipment, including higher efficiency and greater maneuverability. Similarly, in restoring emergency communications to disaster‑stricken areas, fixed‑wing drones can rapidly deploy as high‑altitude base stations to reestablish signal coverage, delivering a significant speed advantage compared with traditional methods. Second, in urban emergency‑rescue scenarios, conventional large drones face spatial constraints that hinder their operational deployment, while medium‑ and small‑size rotary‑wing drones, limited by technological capabilities, fall far short of larger drones in terms of payload capacity, making their performance inadequate to meet primary mission requirements. Moreover, their rotor‑based design results in relatively poor resistance to electromagnetic interference; when flying among urban structures, they are easily affected by strong convective winds, compromising stable flight. Additionally, their open‑rotor configuration demands comparatively spacious operating environments, which most urban settings cannot provide. Consequently, medium‑ and small‑size rotary‑wing drones have long been relegated to auxiliary roles—auxiliary equipment being defined as systems that support and ensure the effective operation of primary combat platforms. Equipment designed for efficient operation, providing information support for command and decision-making, or performing peripheral and support tasks, serves to extend situational awareness, enhance capabilities, ensure safety, and improve efficiency.

Ducted-fan unmanned aerial vehicles, as a new configuration of large-scale unmanned… Human–machine systems, leveraging the high rotor‑disc loading enabled by ducted‑fan propulsion, have achieved breakthroughs in performance—doubling thrust while maintaining the same footprint, markedly enhancing stability and safety, and delivering a compact form factor. These systems can carry ample firefighting agents, operate stably in the turbulent flows between high-rise buildings, and be deployed in narrow streets thanks to their streamlined configuration, thereby precisely meeting the real‑world demands of urban three‑dimensional rescue operations and effectively addressing the core requirements of urban emergency response: high payload capacity, exceptional reliability, and robust mission adaptability in complex environments.

1. Characteristics of Ducted-Fan Drones

1.1 Technical Core and Classification

Ducted-fan unmanned aerial vehicles are propelled by ducted fans. A class of vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aerial vehicles that use technology as their core for propulsion and lift. Ducted-fan propulsion, compared with rotor-based propulsion, offers advantages such as high thrust, high efficiency, enhanced safety, and low noise; it represents an advanced, next‑generation alternative to rotor systems and points to the future direction of electric VTOL aircraft in the low‑altitude economy. By integrating the fan, guide vanes, and duct structure, ducted fans significantly improve aerodynamic efficiency and reduce energy losses, resulting in higher thrust and greater overall performance. In firefighting operations at high‑rise buildings, ducted‑fan drones can achieve a larger maximum takeoff weight within compact dimensions, enabling water‑based fire suppression [2]. Moreover, the enclosed design of ducted fans protects the propellers, minimizes the risk of collisions with obstacles—such as building walls or rescue personnel—and enhances flight safety. Within the conventional classification framework for UAVs, both academia and industry have developed various categorization schemes based on different criteria. According to their flight modes, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be classified into fixed-wing UAVs, rotary-wing UAVs, tiltrotor UAVs, and flapping‑wing UAVs. Among these, rotary‑wing UAVs generate lift through rotating propellers, enabling vertical takeoff and landing, and can be further subdivided into unmanned helicopters and multirotor UAVs. By platform configuration, the three main categories are fixed‑wing UAVs, unmanned helicopters, and multirotor UAVs; other configurations include parafoil UAVs, flapping‑wing UAVs, and unmanned airships. Ducted‑fan UAVs are generally regarded as a specialized subcategory within vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. Furthermore, at the national standard level, GB/T 35018—2018 “Classification and Grading of Civil Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems” categorizes and grades UAV systems across multiple dimensions, including platform configuration, flight propulsion, visual operation mode, control method, and flight weight [3]. Given that ducted‑fan UAVs differ fundamentally from conventional rotary‑wing and fixed‑wing configurations in terms of platform design, propulsion type, and flight performance, they must be positioned within this multidimensional framework based on their specific technical parameters.

1.2 Technical Advantages

In urban emergency rescue scenarios, to overcome the mid- Small rotary-wing UAVs face performance bottlenecks in meeting requirements for heavy‑payload operations, high reliability and safety, and robust mission adaptability in complex environments. In response, a new class of UAVs based on ducted‑fan propulsion has emerged, offering a groundbreaking technological pathway to transition emergency‑rescue UAV systems from auxiliary roles to primary combat platforms. Thanks to the high disk loading afforded by ducted‑fan propulsion, ducted‑fan UAVs, compared with conventional rotary‑wing UAVs… The machine responds to the times and…

This breakthrough provides a groundbreaking technological pathway for emergency‑rescue drones to transition from auxiliary roles to primary combat platforms.

Thanks to the high propeller disk loading of the ducted fan propulsion system. Technically, ducted‑fan unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) deliver a substantial boost in thrust compared to rotor‑type UAVs of the same size. This capability enables them to carry large quantities of fire‑extinguishing agents and transport heavy medical or power‑supply equipment, thereby overcoming the payload‑limitation and restricted transport capacity that have long constrained rotor‑type UAVs. For example, in urban high‑rise firefighting scenarios, a high‑altitude tethered main‑battle fire‑fighting UAV system designed around ducted‑fan propulsion can be equipped with large‑diameter water hoses—65 mm or 50 mm—in diameter, delivering water flow rates up to ten times those of rotor‑type UAVs and comparable to conventional aerial ladder trucks. As such, it can serve as the primary fire‑suppression platform for fires in urban high‑rise buildings.

Stability and Safety of Ducted-Fan Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Significantly enhanced. The ducted‑fan architecture mitigates aerodynamic interference, enabling the UAV to maintain precise attitude control and stable flight operations even in extreme conditions such as strong winds and heavy smoke, with anti‑interference performance far surpassing that of rotor‑type firefighting drones. Moreover, the ducted‑fan design fully encloses the high‑speed rotating blades, providing physical isolation of the propulsion unit and eliminating the risk of blade exposure. The risk of collisions and scrapes posed by the drone’s exposed components enables it to operate safely in complex low-altitude environments, such as urban building clusters, while maintaining a high level of safety.

The high-disc-loading advantage of ducted-fan propulsion also enables ducted-fan UAVs to achieve a more compact form factor. Compared with rotor‑type UAVs, ducted-fan UAVs place far lower demands on takeoff and landing sites; for instance, an eight‑duct configuration can match the overall dimensions of a small passenger car, making it significantly more suitable for urban environments than rotor‑type UAVs.

2 Rescue Scenario Applications

The technical characteristics of ducted-fan drones, precision It aligns with the core requirements of emergency rescue in complex urban environments, demonstrating that China’s large‑scale unmanned aerial vehicles possess the technological foundation to serve as primary combat assets. Consequently, they are advancing from auxiliary roles to full‑fledged operational platforms in applications such as firefighting, communications, and logistics delivery, unlocking new opportunities.

2.1 Firefighting and Rescue

A high-altitude tethered firefighting drone equipped with a ducted fan system This system, representing the primary firefighting and rescue equipment for urban high-rise buildings, marks a significant leap in drone capabilities—from auxiliary reconnaissance to frontline fire suppression. Leveraging the high-thrust advantages of ducted-fan propulsion, it achieves key performance metrics such as a rated takeoff weight of 800 kilograms, a spray flow rate of 20 to 30 liters per second, and sustained operations at altitudes of up to 100 meters. This effectively addresses the challenge of suppressing exterior fires on urban high-rises, matching the firefighting capabilities of the world’s top aerial ladder trucks while substantially enhancing firefighting and rescue efficiency. Beyond high-rise fire suppression, the system can be equipped with firefighting water, dry powder, compressed-air foam, window‑breaking projectiles, and other payloads, enabling remote suppression and coverage in petrochemical parks, along forest fire lines, and at sites of hazardous chemical leaks.

2.2 Rescue and Supplies Delivery

Drones are increasingly becoming a key tool in rescue operations and logistics delivery. To overcome geographical isolation and extend the reach of aerial rescue operations, the Air Force conducted its first supply‑delivery exercise using civilian logistics drones on January 24, 2018. These logistics drones offer advantages such as high speed, precise positioning, and flexible maneuverability, enabling them to support aerial resupply missions in a wide range of harsh environments and high‑risk areas [4]. In isolated scenarios where land transportation is disrupted by earthquakes, floods, or ice‑and‑snow disasters, drones have demonstrated their critical operational value. For instance, medium‑ to large‑size cargo drones can accurately deliver emergency supplies—such as medical supplies, food, and winter‑proof gear—to temporary shelters or trapped areas. At the same time, they can swiftly transport essential rescue equipment, including lifebuoys, life‑detection devices, and small generators, directly into the hands of rescue personnel, significantly enhancing response efficiency.

2.3 Emergency Communications and Reconnaissance

In the event of extreme disasters such as power outages, network disruptions, or loss of connectivity… In this context, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) serve as the core combat assets for rapidly restoring communications and reestablishing comprehensive situational awareness. Large fixed-wing UAVs play a particularly prominent role in this domain. According to publicly available information from the Publicity Department of the Ministry of Emergency Management, during the emergency response to the “Henan ‘7·20’暴雨” disaster, the ministry urgently deployed the Wing Loong UAV‑based airborne emergency communication platform. After a long‑range cross‑regional flight lasting 4.5 hours, the platform arrived in Gongyi City at 18:21 and entered the communication‑blackout zone of Mihe Town. By leveraging the mobile public‑network base station carried by the Wing Loong UAV, it achieved sustained, stable, continuous mobile signal coverage over an area of approximately 50 square kilometers. The airborne base station cumulatively connected 2,572 users, generating 1,089.89 MB of data traffic, with a peak of 648 simultaneous connections. This restored mobile public‑network connectivity, enabling residents in the disaster zone to promptly report conditions and confirm their safety, thereby establishing a critical lifeline for emergency communications. By integrating space‑based, airborne, and ground‑based resources, a全域 heterogeneous communication network has been constructed. Employing heterogeneous network adaptive technologies, deep reinforcement learning (DRL) algorithms, and multimodal data fusion, this approach addresses the communication bottlenecks encountered at disaster sites [5].

2.4 Medical Transportation

The transition from carrying cargo to transporting passengers represents an advancement in drone technology. The ultimate test of operational reliability, safety, and societal acceptance, it heralds the future direction of emergency rescue. Today, next-generation flight platforms—led by electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft—are mapping out a clear roadmap for the rapid transport of critically injured patients. Within urban areas, eVTOLs can bypass ground‑level traffic congestion, enabling point‑to‑point delivery of casualties directly from the accident site to central hospitals. In remote regions such as islands, long‑endurance manned drones can facilitate the swift, long‑distance evacuation of patients with acute or severe conditions. This technological trajectory builds on the wealth of safety data and system‑validation experience accumulated through numerous emergency‑rescue missions, extending the capabilities of heavy‑duty platforms like ducted‑fan unmanned aerial vehicles.

3 “Drone + Smart” Emergency Rescue The Construction of a New Paradigm

A New Paradigm for Emergency Rescue: “Drones + Intelligence” Its construction, at its core, aims to advance the emergency rescue system from… The transition from primitive human‑mass tactics and experience‑based decision‑making to intelligent equipment and data‑driven, systemic approaches is a comprehensive undertaking that encompasses technological upgrades, transformations in operational paradigms, the refinement of institutional standards, and the coordination of multiple forces. The establishment of this new paradigm can be structured around four key dimensions: the equipment architecture, collaborative mechanisms, intelligent empowerment, and institutional safeguards.

3.1 Equipment Upgrade

The primary foundation of the new landscape is to establish coverage across all… A comprehensive spectrum of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) emergency‑rescue equipment covering all types of disasters and operational scenarios. At present, various UAV platforms have demonstrated distinct advantages in different rescue contexts: large fixed‑wing UAVs play an irreplaceable role in emergency communication relay and wide‑area disaster reconnaissance; large unmanned helicopters excel in transporting supplies in remote areas and delivering payloads over long distances; while ducted‑fan UAVs, with their high payload capacity, superior stability, and compact form factor, fill critical gaps in urban high‑rise firefighting and operations in confined spaces. The “Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the Innovative Development of Emergency Management Equipment” explicitly calls for advancing the standardization of common, mission‑critical equipment, refining the emergency‑management equipment portfolio, and organizing standardization efforts around urgently needed, widely applicable systems. This aims to achieve unified specifications for performance, functionality, and interfaces, thereby elevating the levels of standardization, versatility, and modularity [6]. The transition from auxiliary support to primary combat capability necessitates that UAV systems be configured according to principles of operational realism, systemic integration, and standardized design. On one hand, specialized forces such as the national integrated fire and rescue teams should expedite the full equipping and deployment of common, mission‑critical assets, while simultaneously strengthening the acquisition of advanced, precision‑oriented, specialized, and niche‑specific equipment [6]. For instance, the ducted‑fan, high‑altitude tethered combat‑firefighting UAV system, with a rated takeoff weight of 800 kg and a spray flow rate of 20–30 liters per second, matches the performance of world‑class aerial ladder fire trucks and has become one of the principal tools for extinguishing fires in urban high‑rise buildings. On the other hand, complementary strengths among different UAV configurations should be leveraged: ducted‑fan UAVs handle urban high‑rise firefighting and operations in tight spaces, large fixed‑wing UAVs serve as airborne communication relays, and unmanned helicopters specialize in delivering supplies to remote areas—thus, through multi‑UAV coordination and on‑demand resource allocation, a comprehensive, regionally encompassing portfolio of emergency‑rescue UAVs can be established.

3.2 Coordination Mechanism

The full potential of equipment can only be realized within the system. Release. The second major pillar of the new paradigm is the establishment of an intelligent rescue network that integrates air and ground operations, with unmanned aerial vehicles serving as key nodes, enabling multi‑UAV coordination. From a vertical perspective, this network should form a three‑tiered, interconnected rescue system: space‑based, airborne, and ground‑based. At the space level, satellites provide wide‑area situational awareness and emergency communications; in the air, high‑altitude large UAVs and manned aircraft handle regional‑scale communication relaying and broad‑area reconnaissance, while low‑altitude ducted‑fan UAVs and small to medium rotary‑wing aircraft carry out precision end‑point operations and fine‑grained response; on the ground, it connects to terrestrial monitoring stations and deploys firefighters, rangers, and inspectors. In Naxi District, Luzhou City, Sichuan Province, 18 drone‑equipped modular command centers have been deployed, creating an integrated smart emergency‑response system that has reduced the time required for forest‑fire detection, analysis, and response from hours to minutes—or even seconds—representing a successful implementation of this concept.

From a horizontal perspective, between different-configured UAVs, Coordinated operations between unmanned aerial vehicles and ground rescue forces have become the core of a new, field‑ready operational paradigm. In October 2024, Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province, took the lead in establishing an intelligent drone‑based emergency fire‑fighting and rescue unit, adopting a “1+6+7+N” model: it comprises six directly affiliated detachments—responsible for early warning and monitoring, communications support, mobile logistics, and fire suppression and rescue—and seven county‑level (city‑level or district‑level) rescue detachments. This structure has yielded significant results in high‑efficiency response, precision delivery, and comprehensive grassroots coverage, forging a citywide, rapidly responsive, and highly coordinated air‑ground integrated emergency rescue framework. During Yunnan Province’s 2026 comprehensive live‑fire exercise for forest fires in plateau and mountainous areas, fire and rescue teams employed drones equipped for high‑rise building firefighting to deliver water at low altitudes, working in tandem with ground units to establish a three‑dimensional air‑ground extinguishing strategy. This approach enabled precise suppression of hard‑to‑reach fire hotspots—such as crown fires and cliff‑side blazes—thereby markedly enhancing both the efficiency and safety of firefighting and rescue operations in complex terrain. Moreover, cross‑regional and interdepartmental collaboration is a key component of this new paradigm. The Measures for the Administration of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Applications in Fire and Rescue Operations of Suqian City have established a governance system characterized by government coordination, fire‑service leadership, and interagency cooperation, mandating that public security, transportation, meteorological, and telecommunications authorities provide support and logistical assurance in accordance with their respective responsibilities. This mechanism provides an institutionalized framework for integrating drones into urban emergency rescue efforts.

3.3 Intelligent Empowerment

The third pillar of the new landscape is artificial intelligence. Driven by big data technologies, emergency rescue is undergoing a systemic transformation—from traditional manual patrols and experience‑based judgment to data‑driven, intelligent decision‑making. At the edge‑device level, empowerment means that drones are evolving from remote‑controlled aircraft into flying intelligent agents—next‑generation unmanned aerial systems that integrate advanced environmental perception, autonomous mission planning, and multi‑agent coordination—embodying the conceptual shift of intelligence from a mere tool to an autonomous entity. By integrating multispectral imaging, thermal infrared, and high‑definition visual sensors powered by AI algorithms, drones can automatically detect fire sources, locate trapped individuals, and forecast the trajectory of disaster impacts. A prime example is Naxi District in Sichuan Province, which has established a comprehensive “drone + AI algorithm” coverage system anchored in an AI computing center. Similarly, Yiling District in Yichang equips drones with on‑board AI chips to autonomously identify smoke and flame hotspots during routine inspections, with each system capable of covering more than 100,000 mu of area.

At the central decision-making level, a unified intelligence system should be established. Smart emergency command platform. The “Guiding Opinions” propose advancing the integrated innovation of emergency management equipment with new technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G, big data, the Internet of Things, satellite internet, the BeiDou navigation system, and advanced computing. Leveraging a data mid-platform, it will integrate multi-source information—including meteorological data, geographic information, population distribution, hotspot thermal imagery, and drone status—and employ large‑model technologies to simulate disaster evolution, forecast resource requirements, and optimize force deployment.

Transformation enables command decision-making to shift from experience-based judgment to data-driven approaches.

At the platform‑operation level, the routine deployment of a low‑altitude sensing network is pivotal to unlocking smart‑city capabilities. Yunxiao County has installed 24 intelligent drone base stations and three individual‑use industrial drones across the entire county, establishing an aerial sensing network that provides comprehensive coverage, rapid response, and efficient command and control, thereby forming… A comprehensive drone application system for routine patrols and inspections, as well as emergency response and incident management. This deployment model, which emphasizes constant readiness, elevates drones from equipment deployed only during emergencies to a 24/7 standby force that provides continuous situational awareness and serves as a regular part of the rescue infrastructure.

3.4 Institutional Guarantees

Institutional safeguards are essential to ensuring the steady and sustained advancement of the new development paradigm. Chassis. At present, the development of standards and regulations in China’s low‑altitude economy and emergency‑rescue drone sectors has entered an accelerated phase; however, it still falls short of meeting the demands of large‑scale deployment of these critical operational assets.

The “Guidance on Building the Low-Altitude Economy Standards System (2025 Edition)” was jointly issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation and nine other departments. It identifies key priorities for standard-setting across five areas—low-altitude aircraft, low-altitude infrastructure, low-altitude airspace traffic management, safety oversight, and application scenarios—and sets forth a roadmap to establish a basic standards system for the low-altitude economy by 2027, with more than 300 standards in place by 2030 [7]. This top-level design provides a foundational framework for developing a standards system for emergency‑rescue drones.

At the industry‑standard level, targeted efforts have already been undertaken. The group standard “Technical Standard for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in High‑Rise Firefighting Scenarios” (T/HBUAV 005‑2025) establishes technical specifications for high‑rise firefighting drones across multiple dimensions, including flight performance, fire‑extinguishing capability, environmental adaptability, intelligence, and communications, serving as a key technical reference for the operational deployment of next‑generation systems such as ducted‑fan firefighting drones. Meanwhile, the “Administrative Measures for the Application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Firefighting and Rescue Operations of Suqian City,” the nation’s first administrative normative document governing the use of UAVs in this field, provides comprehensive provisions on the role of drones in firefighting and rescue operations, operational management, safety assurance, and practical innovation, clearly defining management procedures and the responsibilities of all relevant parties, thereby filling a critical gap in institutional framework development.

However, the current airworthiness certification framework for large, heavy‑weight, mission‑critical professional drones used in public safety operations remains in its early stages of development. A dedicated airworthiness standard system for emergency‑response drones is still largely absent; indeed, such systems are often forced to rely on provisions from manned aircraft standards, which differ fundamentally from the safety objectives and failure‑consequence assessment models specific to rescue drones. This institutional gap represents a key bottleneck hindering the establishment of a new operational paradigm and urgently requires accelerated remediation.

In summary, the establishment of a new paradigm for emergency rescue—“drones plus intelligence”—represents a systemic transformation. This transformation is driven by three key elements: new equipment (the development of a multi‑configuration fleet of frontline drones and the standardization of “high‑end, precision, specialized, and dedicated” systems); new forms of coordination (the emergence of integrated air‑ground and multi‑drone collaborative frameworks, alongside the exploration of novel operational doctrines); and new institutional frameworks (the refinement of standards and regulations and the design of dedicated airworthiness criteria). Together, these factors are propelling the emergency rescue system toward a fundamental shift—from manpower‑intensive, experience‑based decision‑making and single‑platform reliance to intelligent, data‑driven, and multi‑drone‑coordinated operations. As engineering progress advances on new‑generation platforms such as ducted‑fan drones, practical drone‑deployment experience accumulates across regions, and low‑altitude‑economy standards and regulations continue to mature, this new paradigm is moving steadily from theoretical conception to real‑world implementation. This not only signifies a structural upgrade of the emergency rescue equipment landscape but also marks an epochal leap in the operating mechanisms of emergency response—shifting from reactive response to proactive anticipation, and from isolated, point‑focused operations to coordinated, swarm‑style collaboration.

4 Development Opportunities and Challenges

4.1 Power Performance

Emergency rescue missions—particularly high-rise firefighting, long-range logistics delivery, and extended‑duration communication relay—place extremely stringent demands on a drone’s payload capacity and endurance. Under strict constraints on size and weight,

Generating greater thrust requires the coordinated optimization of the motor, electronic controller, and fan (propeller), necessitating a comprehensive upgrade of the propulsion system’s performance. Taking the development of a high‑performance propulsion system for ducted‑fan unmanned aerial vehicles as an example: new motor designs are optimized to meet the sustained high‑power operating requirements of tethered drones, with particular emphasis on refining the motor’s magnetic circuit to enhance power density and efficiency. Additionally, novel control algorithms must be developed to accommodate both the unique characteristics of ducted fans and the constraints imposed by tethering. An efficient thermal management system is also required, featuring a hybrid oil–liquid–air cooling architecture that synergistically integrates oil cooling—applied to the motor windings—

The thermal management architecture integrates electric‑control, liquid cooling (for key heat‑generating components), and air cooling (for surface heat dissipation), optimizing heat‑transfer pathways and exchange efficiency to ensure that core components maintain controllable temperature rise under extreme operating conditions, thereby addressing the challenges of thermal management at high power densities. The motor–electronic control unit (ECU) integrated design physically combines the motor and its controller, enabling functional synergy and system‑level optimization, which effectively reduces system size and weight while streamlining thermal‑management routes.

While the propulsion system undergoes a comprehensive upgrade, breakthroughs in battery technology are equally critical to unlocking the long‑range, level‑flight endurance of emergency‑response drones. When performing extended‑range missions, a drone’s operational radius and mission duration hinge on battery performance. Today, mainstream lithium‑ion batteries have nearly reached their theoretical energy‑density limits, making it difficult to sustain level flight over distances exceeding 100 kilometers during tasks such as payload‑carrying reconnaissance or logistical delivery. Developing next‑generation high‑energy‑density cells and designing intelligent battery packs tailored to them represent key avenues for advancing battery technology. This requires not only a leap in cell energy density through innovative material systems but also the ability to deliver sustained high‑rate discharges to meet the propulsion system’s peak power demands. At the same time, the battery’s thermal management system must be deeply integrated with the aircraft’s overall cooling architecture to ensure uniform temperature distribution and safety under extreme power‑output conditions. Furthermore, advanced battery‑management algorithms are indispensable; they must work in concert with the flight control system to intelligently optimize discharge strategies and flight‑path planning based on real‑time flight conditions and airflow dynamics, thereby maximizing the distance flown per watt‑hour of stored energy. Only by achieving coordinated advances in battery energy density, charging efficiency, and environmental adaptability can we ensure…

Emergency rescue drones can reliably reach remote disaster areas and carry out critical missions.

The current limitations of propulsion systems and battery technologies directly constrain the deployment of large unmanned aerial vehicles, such as ducted-fan UAVs, in long-duration rescue missions; accordingly, technological upgrades in these areas represent the core breakthroughs driving ongoing R&D efforts.

4.2 Reliability and Airworthiness Certification

The emergency rescue site is characterized by high temperature, high humidity, and strong winds, Extreme conditions such as electromagnetic interference place heightened demands on the power system, flight control system, sensors, and communication links of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms. In particular, large‑size UAVs tasked with primary combat missions, when operating over densely populated areas, risk triggering severe secondary disasters if any critical subsystem fails. Therefore, a unified, authoritative, and mission‑specific airworthiness standard and certification regime should be established for emergency‑rescue UAVs intended to perform such core operational roles. Current civil‑UAV regulations primarily focus on the real‑name registration and flight‑operation oversight of light‑ and small‑class systems, while airworthiness standards for large, heavy‑class professional UAVs used in public‑safety‑critical missions remain largely absent or simply borrow provisions from manned‑aircraft regulations—resulting in a gap that lags behind both technological advances and practical needs. Manned‑aircraft airworthiness standards are centered on safeguarding the lives of pilots and passengers, with failure modes and risk assessments predicated on the responses of onboard personnel. By contrast, large rescue UAVs operate as unmanned platforms, with safety risks chiefly directed at the safety of civilians on the ground, property, and the integrity of the rescue mission itself; thus, their safety objectives and models for assessing failure consequences differ fundamentally.

Therefore, independently establishing a set of airworthiness standards specifically for emergency‑response drones is not only an inevitable requirement of technological advancement but also a crucial direction for guiding the industry toward healthy, safe, and large‑scale development.

4.3 Intelligent Upgrade

The flight control systems of existing products primarily perform basic functions. Attitude stabilization and waypoint navigation fall within the realm of traditional automatic control and suffer from insufficient levels of intelligence. Taking fire‑rescue operations as an example, current drones lack the capability to autonomously detect, identify, and locate fire sources, nor can they independently plan the optimal approach path to the blaze. They also lack autonomous decision‑making and execution capabilities for firefighting tasks such as precision water‑dropping, window‑breaking, or chemical‑agent deployment. As a result, firefighters still must perform extensive, complex manual or semi‑manual operations in real‑world scenarios, which not only demand high operator expertise but also lead to excessive workload and delayed responses in the high‑stress environment of a fire scene—preventing drones from fully realizing their intended autonomous potential. In the future, drones will leverage AI algorithms to automatically recognize fire‑scene conditions; by integrating real‑time fire‑ground data—such as thermal imagery and 3D models—with large‑scale models, they will be able to predict fire‑behavior trends in real time, autonomously adjust their operational postures, and progressively achieve fully automated firefighting.

4.3.1 Rescue and Supplies Delivery

The smart platform will enable large-scale, efficient drone operations. By integrating diverse data—including global material demand, drone location, payload capacity, and flight range—the system leverages intelligent algorithms to automatically generate optimal dispatch plans and coordinated flight routes, thereby establishing an intelligent aerial logistics network that enables multi‑drone collaboration and relay‑based delivery. This approach systematically addresses the “last‑mile” and even the “last‑ten‑kilometers” delivery challenges in emergency response operations.

4.3.2 Emergency Communications and Reconnaissance

A drone equipped with multispectral imaging and integrated AI algorithms. Sensors such as optical, thermal infrared, and high-definition visual cameras enable rapid scanning of disaster zones. Leveraging advanced object detection and image recognition technologies, the system can automatically analyze vast volumes of imagery, efficiently pinpointing signs of life among trapped individuals in complex environments like rubble, dense forests, or expansive water bodies, while simultaneously identifying and geolocating critical disaster‑related information in real time. Meanwhile, drones, serving as airborne mobile nodes, can form a dynamic sensor network, continuously collecting and transmitting multidimensional environmental data—including terrain changes, road damage, hazardous gas concentrations, radiation levels, and meteorological conditions—thus driving the intelligent upgrade of equipment and facilitating a leap in the automation and intelligence of drones. This represents a key pathway to significantly enhancing the effectiveness of emergency‑response drones.

4.4 Flying Agent

Looking ahead, “drone + smart” technology This will elevate rescue aerial vehicles beyond the scope of mere transportation, transforming them into intelligent flying agents endowed with environmental perception, autonomous decision-making, and swarm‑coordinated capabilities. They will be able to comprehend complex instructions, autonomously plan safe routes in dynamic disaster scenarios, and share information and collaborate with other ground‑based drones, ultimately forming an integrated, organic, and self‑adaptive intelligent rescue swarm that enables cross‑platform cooperation. To enhance environmental awareness and autonomy, these agents will be equipped with multi‑modal sensing systems—including visible light, infrared, LiDAR, sonar, and more—enabling not only environmental monitoring but also advanced autonomous processing powered by large‑scale models. For example, they can automatically detect signs of life beneath rubble, assess the structural integrity of buildings, and analyze the spread and intensity of fires. Furthermore, by improving their mission‑planning and execution capabilities, these agents will be able to receive and interpret high‑level natural language or standardized task directives. Rather than simply executing remote‑control commands, it leverages autonomous environmental perception and understanding to autonomously plan and dynamically adjust the optimal, safest path and sequence of actions for completing its mission, while also possessing localized decision‑making capabilities to handle unexpected contingencies. Empowered by intelligence, it enhances on‑platform coordination among multi‑agent swarms. Within a fleet of aerial agents, a self‑organizing network facilitates the sharing of data, mission status, and objectives, thereby forming a collaborative cluster. Guided by the overarching mission goals, the cluster autonomously performs dynamic role assignment—such as reconnaissance, suppression, delivery, or assessment—and orchestrates task‑specific formations.

5 Conclusion

At present, the emergency rescue drone industry is facing both The opportunities for scenario expansion brought about by the deep integration of “drones + intelligence” also require addressing common, core challenges that span all aircraft configurations. Looking ahead, as propulsion technologies, intelligent algorithms, and airworthiness standards continue to mature, the primary operational effectiveness of large‑scale drones—such as ducted‑fan UAVs—in urban environments will be further unlocked, while the collaborative capabilities of diverse drone configurations will keep improving. The seamless fusion of drones with smart technologies will not only drive emergency response from passive reaction to proactive prediction and from standalone operations to coordinated swarm missions, but will also provide comprehensive equipment support for modernizing China’s emergency management system, ultimately forging a new paradigm of intelligent emergency rescue that covers both rural and urban settings, adapts to a wide range of emergent scenarios, and safeguards the safety of people and property.

References

[1] National Development and Reform Commission. Statistical Classification of the Low-Altitude Economy and Its Core Industries (Trial) [Z]. December 2025.

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