Firefighting drones are unmanned aircraft controlled by radio remote control or autonomous programs, primarily used in fire rescue scenarios such as forest fire monitoring and high-rise building firefighting. Types include unmanned helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and multi-rotor aircraft. They can perform tasks such as fire scene reconnaissance, 3D modeling, material delivery, and remote detection of hazardous gas concentrations. They are characterized by high mobility, ease of maintenance, and the ability to integrate voice modules to transmit commands, assist in opening rescue channels, and support the delivery of critical equipment such as ropes and breathing apparatus.
A firefighting and rescue drone developed by an industrial university can carry fire extinguishing bombs to break windows in high-rise buildings and extinguish forest fires with centimeter-level accuracy within 15 meters. A new firefighting drone system, unveiled in July 2025, has overcome the challenges of firefighting in urban high-rise buildings. In November of the same year, firefighting drones were showcased as a core exhibit at the Asian General Aviation Exhibition. In December, the Fire and Rescue Brigade's Unmanned Equipment Research and Training Center was put into operation, demonstrating capabilities such as long-endurance reconnaissance by vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drones, drone swarm operations, rapid firefighting by drones, precise delivery by logistics drones, communication relay and lighting by tethered drones, as well as high-precision throwing and rapid 3D modeling. The world's first ducted fan high-altitude tethered firefighting drone system, "Aoqin," can ascend to 100 meters within one minute, carrying extinguishing agent and continuously spraying at a flow rate of 20 liters per second, with an effective range exceeding 40 meters. Some special operations squadrons are equipped with large firefighting drones that have passed airworthiness certification, featuring carbon fiber fuselages and capable of carrying four 100-kilogram fire extinguishing bombs, each covering a maximum area of 700 square meters.
