Breaking the "Three Disconnections" at Yunzhen Emergency 2022: Dagong Technology's Tethered UAV Emerges as the "Never-Power-Down" Lifeline
Yunnan, China — On May 8, 2022, during the "Yunzhen Emergency 2022" national earthquake rescue drill in Jianshui County, a simulated magnitude 7.3 earthquake created the most dreaded scenario in disaster response: the "Three Disconnections" of roads, networks, and power. Amidst the simulated ruins, Beijing Dagong Technology Co., Ltd.’s tethered UAV system rose silently above the chaos, leveraging a single photoelectric composite cable to establish an "never-power-down" lifeline—unequivocally validating the tethered drone as the irreplaceable aerial pillar of modern "Air-Space-Ground Integrated" emergency communication.
When a mega-quake strikes, the instantaneous collapse of terrestrial fiber optics and base stations plunges disaster zones into desperate "information islands," blinding rescue commanders. While fixed-wing UAVs offer rapid reconnaissance, their limited endurance renders them incapable of providing the sustained communication relay required during the critical 72-hour Golden Hour. Dagong Technology’s tethered UAV neutralizes this bottleneck through its specialized tether cable—a dual-purpose "energy blood vessel" and "data nerve." By drawing continuous ground power and routing data via embedded fiber optics, the system shatters the conventional 30-minute battery curse, achieving 24-hour uninterrupted hovering.
Demonstrated through the exacting standards of the Yunzhen drill, Dagong Technology’s tethered UAV system executes three critical combat capabilities in "Three Disconnection" environments:
1. Persistent "Airborne Base Station" Capability: Elevated to altitudes of 100-200 meters, the drone carries a lightweight mobile communication base station. Via the tether’s fiber optic link, it connects to ground satellite portable stations, instantly constructing a temporary "cellular signal tower" over the disaster zone to restore public network connectivity and coordinate rescue forces.
2. All-Weather "Reconnaissance & Illumination" Capability: Nightfall and severe weather drastically cripple search efficiency. The tethered UAV simultaneously mounts high-power lighting and infrared thermal imaging pods. Proven in the 2023 Gansu earthquake rescue—where it provided a staggering 8,000 square meters of illumination—it penetrates smoke and debris to lock onto victims' heat signatures, equipping ground teams with "X-ray vision."
3. Real-Time "Emergency Mapping" Capability: Hovering steadily over devastated areas, the platform utilizes high-definition cameras and intelligent algorithms to conduct continuous, real-time video monitoring and high-precision image collection, delivering immediate situational assessments of building collapses and landslide extents to command headquarters.
The triumph at the Yunzhen drill is not theoretical; it is forged in the crucible of real catastrophes. Dagong Technology's "tethered" journey has consistently transformed technological imagination into life-saving reality. In 2017, during the Jiuzhaigou earthquake, Dagong Technology and China Mobile deployed the country's first tethered UAV high-altitude base station, completing the technology's domestic combat debut. During the 2021 Henan mega-floods, the system provided unextinguished aerial lighting at the Wei River breach, securing precious time for flood-sealing operations. Most recently, in the 2025 Xizang (Tibet) earthquake, the system again shouldered emergency communication guarantees, proving its absolute reliability in high-altitude, complex environments.
Underpinning these heroic deployments is Dagong Technology’s formidable engineering moat. Breaking through core challenges like high-voltage power distribution and highly reliable redundant flight control, their products boast Level 8 wind resistance and robust payload capacities, flexibly adapting to communication, illumination, reconnaissance, and firefighting modules.
Looking beyond emergency rescue, the tethered UAV is rapidly evolving into the "airborne new infrastructure" of the booming low-altitude economy. From providing persistent aerial broadcasting for major national celebrations and security for large-scale events, to acting as "aerial grid workers" for urban governance and industrial inspections, the applications are limitless. Even in high-rise firefighting, super-heavy-lift tethered UAVs are achieving air-ground coordinated suppression.
When disaster strikes, and the earth falls silent, the tether cable remains unbroken. Beijing Dagong Technology continues to stand at the vanguard, proving that a single, resilient tether can lift persistent energy, stable signals, and ultimately, hope itself, above the ruins—solidifying China's emergency tech prowess on the global stage.