A Brigade of the 76th Group Army: Air-Ground Coordination Opens a 'Lifeline'

Air-Ground Coordination Opens a 'Lifeline'

——A Report on Helicopter Search-and-Rescue Training of a Brigade of the 76th Group Army

■ Wang Han, Wang Pengfei

A helicopter formation conducts low-altitude search operations. Photo by Wang Pengfei

"The search area has been designated — all elements act according to the plan!" In summer, with the order issued, a brigade of the 76th Group Army launched a helicopter field search-and-rescue training exercise. Several helicopters urgently took to the air, covertly maneuvering in combat formation to the target airspace and initiating a "dragnet-style" search.

In the air, pilots continuously adjusted the aircraft's flight attitude, employing a three-dimensional search method of "grid-based sector division and diagonal dragnet sweeping," conducting high-altitude wide-area scanning and low-altitude precision identification across the mission airspace. The airborne electro-optical pod captured imagery in real time, transmitting footage and coordinates back to the ground command center.

Inside the command center, the commander stood before a large electronic display screen, conducting a comprehensive assessment in conjunction with terrain and meteorological data relayed from the front, directing crews to dynamically adjust flight altitude and speed and progressively narrow the search area. The brigade's leadership told this reporter that the brigade routinely performs airborne emergency rescue missions in relevant areas of its garrison zone. For this training exercise, using the scenario of "personnel trapped, terrain unknown, communications restricted," they focused on key links including search and location, precision rescue, and coordinated transfer, in order to assess the helicopter detachment's field emergency response and air-ground coordination capabilities.

"Target located — rescue element, stand by!" After confirming the position of the "trapped personnel," the helicopter gradually closed on the point where the "trapped personnel" were located. Once the helicopter maintained a stable hover, rescue personnel wearing protective gear fast-roped rapidly to the ground, confirmed the status of the "trapped personnel," and conducted emergency treatment of the "casualties," including wound assessment, hemorrhage control and bandaging, and fracture immobilization. The crew then operated the rescue basket and aerial winch to smoothly hoist the "casualties" into the cabin and systematically guided the remaining "trapped personnel" to board the aircraft.

Amid the roar of engines, the helicopter carrying the "trapped personnel" returned to the ground reception point. Rescue forces that had been standing by for some time rapidly moved into position: the medical team stepped forward to conduct preliminary examinations of the "rescued personnel," and field ambulances quickly transferred the "casualties" to a rear medical point. This reporter observed on the scene that the entire rescue process was tightly sequenced, with air-ground coordination smooth and efficient.

"This training exercise, relying on a complex field environment, conducted focused and intensive training on subjects including rapid helicopter sortie generation, precision search, high-altitude fast-rope insertion, rescue basket operations, and air-ground coordination, effectively assessing officers and soldiers' comprehensive capability to execute diverse rescue missions in unfamiliar terrain," the brigade's leadership stated. They will continue to refine emergency response plans, deepen the air-ground integrated joint training mechanism, and strive to improve the force's all-weather, all-terrain emergency rescue capabilities.