Modernization Political Work

Repair Technician Ai Shajiang of a Brigade Under the 76th Group Army: A 'Hand-Built' Unmanned Vehicle Proves Its Worth

第76集团军某旅修理技师艾沙江：“手搓”无人车派上大用场

PLA Daily (解放军报) 15 July 2026

Summary

A repair technician named Ai Shajiang, assigned to a brigade under the 76th Group Army, hand-built a functional unmanned ground vehicle from scratch at a Gobi Desert training site to solve a logistics burden — manual supply hauling during field exercises — and the vehicle subsequently performed well enough in combat-realistic training to draw praise from brigade leadership. The article documents a persistent last-mile logistics gap at the company and brigade level that soldiers are solving through individual initiative rather than issued equipment, a pattern the PLA has actively promoted but that also reveals the limits of formal procurement in reaching small units. The aspiration Ai describes — multi-vehicle 'buddy mode' coordination — extends the article's value beyond a human-interest piece, confirming that even informal maker projects at this level are now oriented toward autonomous swarming concepts.

Translation

In summer, on a training ground in the Gobi Desert, wind and sand fill the sky. A strangely shaped unmanned vehicle drives across a rutted dirt slope, its tires crunching over gravel with a rustling sound. At the scene, fellow soldiers exclaim in admiration: "It really is a fierce 'mountain wildcat.'" And its 'owner' is none other than Ai Shajiang, a repair technician in a brigade under the 76th Group Army.

When asked about his 'connection' with unmanned vehicles, Ai Shajiang jokes: "I was 'worn out' by hauling supplies into it."

During every field training exercise, when preparing supplies, they had to transfer dozens of cases of drinking water and provisions from the company to the vehicle park. Soldiers would run back and forth several times, gasping for breath and drenched in sweat. During one supply-hauling session, a soldier muttered offhandedly: "If only we had an unmanned vehicle to carry the supplies, we wouldn't have to work ourselves this hard."

The speaker had no particular intention, but the listener took it to heart. The idea of building a small unmanned vehicle took root in Ai Shajiang's mind. During that period, as soon as training ended, Ai Shajiang would bury himself in the repair workshop. The professional blueprints for unmanned vehicles were like a "book from heaven" (天书). Confronted with dense circuitry, he started from the basics, called manufacturers' engineers whenever he ran into problems, and endured blisters from the soldering iron on his fingers that healed only to form again—yet he never once thought of giving up. Late at night, his figure was always present in the study room, the faint glow of a tablet illuminating his focused face.

Breaking through on the power system was a tough nut to crack (硬骨头). The training site had steep slopes and abundant loose rock, which ordinary motors could not handle. In response, Ai Shajiang not only combed through every old equipment manual in the storeroom but also ordered multiple mechanical engineering books online to study, and used rest time to exchange experience with fellow soldiers. After more than two months of hard work, a 'hand-built' (手搓) unmanned prototype vehicle was assembled. However, the first field test ended in failure—the vehicle traveled 200 meters and then suddenly 'went on strike,' stopping in place. No matter what Ai Shajiang did with the controls, it would not budge.

Ai Shajiang looked at the scene before him, his heart a tangle of emotions. This prototype had been built with his blood and sweat; the wiring connections alone numbered over a thousand, each soldered by hand.

After a brief moment of dejection, Ai Shajiang sat down beside the vehicle and began checking for the fault. He carefully inspected the circuitry line by line, not overlooking a single detail.

"Found it!" After several hours of troubleshooting, Ai Shajiang finally discovered the cause of the fault at an inconspicuous connector—a component had come loose while the vehicle was in motion. When he carefully re-soldered and reinforced the component, the unmanned vehicle was 'fully restored to life' (满血复活).

After multiple rounds of optimization and improvement, the prototype's performance grew steadily better—its load-bearing capacity is robust, capable of transporting supplies weighing over a hundred jin (斤) across complex terrain; the roof-mounted camera is fully functional, capable of taking photos and recording video in real time; and with the addition of multiple functional modules, it can carry out a diverse range of transport tasks.

During one combat-realistic training exercise, the unmanned vehicle completed its designated subject with outstanding performance. At the scene, brigade leadership offered repeated praise: "This unmanned vehicle is really useful!"

"In the future, I also want to add a 'buddy mode' to it," Ai Shajiang said, walking up to the unmanned vehicle and gesturing as he spoke. "Have multiple vehicles operate in coordination to help the unit carry out complex and varied tasks."

Now, more and more fellow soldiers are joining Ai Shajiang's maker team. During rest time, everyone gathers together to work out plans for upgrading the unmanned vehicle. A 'technology innovation fever' (技术革新热) of dedicated problem-solving has quietly spread throughout the barracks.

Original Chinese

夏日，戈壁滩的训练场上，风沙漫天，一辆外形奇特的无人车在坑洼不平的土坡上行驶，轮胎碾过碎石子簌簌作响。现场，战友连连赞叹：“真是一只骁勇的‘山地小野猫’。”而它的“主人”，正是第76集团军某旅修理技师艾沙江。说起与无人车的“缘分”，艾沙江打趣道：“是被物资搬运‘累’出来的。” 每次野外驻训，他们准备物资时，需要把几十箱饮用水和给养物资从连队转运至车场。战友们来回跑几趟累得气喘吁吁、满头大汗。一次搬运物资，一名战士随口念叨：“要是有一辆无人车，扛着物资跑，咱们就不用这么累了。” 说者无意，听者有心。制造一辆小型无人车的想法在艾沙江心底萌发。那段时间，训练一结束，艾沙江便一头扎进专修室。无人车的专业图纸如同“天书”，面对密密麻麻的线路，他从基础知识学起，遇到问题打电话向厂家工程师请教，手指被电烙铁烫出的水泡消了又起，却从未想过放弃；深夜学习室里总有他的身影，平板电脑的微光映着他专注的脸庞。动力系统攻关是一块难啃的“硬骨头”。驻训地坡陡碎石多，普通电机难以应对。对此，艾沙江不仅翻遍库房旧装备手册，还网购多本机械书籍钻研，利用休息时间与战友一起交流经验。历经2个多月的攻关，一台“手搓”无人样车组装完成。然而，首次实地测试遭遇失利——车辆驶出200米，突然“罢工”停在原地，无论艾沙江怎么操作，依然纹丝不动。艾沙江看着眼前一切，心里五味杂陈。这台样车，凝聚着他的心血，单是线路接头，就亲手焊接了上千个。短暂失落后，艾沙江坐在车旁开始检查故障。他沿着一条条线路仔细检查，不放过任何一处细节。 “找到了！”经过数小时的排查，艾沙江终于在一个不起眼的接口处发现故障原因——原来是车辆行驶中一枚零件松动了。当他小心翼翼地将零件重新焊接加固后，无人车“满血复活”。后来经过多轮优化改进，这台样车的性能越来越好——承载能力强劲，可以在复杂地形上运送百余斤重的物资；车顶镜头功能完备，能实时拍照录像；加装多种功能模块，可以执行多样化运输任务。一次实战化训练，该无人车凭借出色表现完成指定课目。现场，旅领导连连称赞：“这台无人车真好用！” “以后我还想给它加个‘伙伴模式’。”艾沙江走到无人车前，边比划边说，“让多辆车协同作业，帮助部队执行复杂多样的任务。” 现在，越来越多的战友加入艾沙江的创客团队。休息时间，大家就围在一起琢磨无人车升级方案，一股潜心攻关的“技术革新热”，悄然在营区蔓延开来。