Chinese AI drone system aims to hit fires in hard-to-reach places before they turn into big blazes
- Firefighting vehicle is equipped with fire-rescue drones and a reconnaissance drone, along with storage tanks and equipment to extinguish blazes
- Fire-rescue drones can be fitted with dry-powder extinguishing bombs or pressurised storage tanks and tow hoses to spray compressed air foam

The groundbreaking technology was showcased by XCMG Group, a leader in China’s machinery industry, at a fire protection, equipment and technology conference and expo in China’s capital last week.
The drone system is mounted on a vehicle – the AP35/G2 UAV compressed air foam tower fire truck – and is the result of collaboration between XCMG Fire-Fighting Safety Equipment Co and the Shanghai office of the Ministry of Emergency Management.
The vehicle is equipped with two fire-rescue drones and a reconnaissance drone, along with storage tanks and firefighting equipment.
The new firefighting drones aim to address slow response times typically associated with urban and forest fire rescues during the initial stages of an emergency.
XCMG Group employees at the expo said the system had undergone two high-rise rescue drills in Chongqing province in southwestern China. It had also been deployed in forest fire prevention and proved efficient at tackling re-ignition points and inaccessible terrain, according to the staff at the event.
For forest deployments, the base system could be integrated into a laptop-sized terminal with a control system equivalent to standard handheld devices.
“When a fire breaks out, the reconnaissance drone is deployed first to survey the scene, transmitting real-time images back to the vehicle’s control room and automatically plotting a safe and swift route for the rescue.