China-Laos 'Peace Train-2026' drills feature first systematic use of unmanned smart rescue equipment
An unmanned ground vehicle operates on a muddy road. (Photo: China Military Bugle)
Search drones lifted off for wide-area aerial surveys, quadruped robot dogs moved in to assess disaster sites, and tracked unmanned vehicles transported "injured" personnel. On Wednesday, the China-Laos "Peace Train-2026" joint humanitarian medical rescue exercise in Vientiane, Laos, entered its mixed-formation joint training phase, marking the first systematic deployment of unmanned smart equipment, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
The exercise includes training on casualty search, transport and evacuation, and supply delivery. On the training grounds, the integration of unmanned equipment gave medical rescue operations a completely new look.
Participant Xu Chao said the training followed a principle of "human-led, unmanned-assisted." Unmanned equipment was used throughout the entire rescue and treatment chain, from frontline casualty search and precise delivery of emergency supplies to rapid evacuation and continued treatment at rear medical facilities, reported Xinhua.
Drones, robot dogs and unmanned vehicles can enter dangerous areas, helping personnel work faster and more efficiently, meeting complex operational needs, improving the search for casualties and long-distance evacuation capabilities, and rebuilding the timeline for rescue and transport, enabling real-time, rapid response, said the report.
Photos released by the China Military Bugle showed the unmanned equipment operating on muddy and uneven terrain.
"This unmanned equipment training marks a key step in our systematic use of unmanned intelligent medical rescue forces," Chen Peizheng, deputy head of the search and rescue team at a first-level medical institution, was quoted by Xinhua as saying.
The China-Laos "Peace Train" exercise is using integrated unmanned smart equipment to boost medical support capabilities and build real-world experience for diverse humanitarian medical rescue missions, said Chen.
The China-Laos Peace Train-2026 joint humanitarian medical rescue exercise kicked off on Monday morning in Vientiane, the Lao capital. This marks the sixth edition of the joint exercise series between the two militaries since 2017, the China Military Bugle reported.
The focus of the exercise is on disaster site search and rescue, mass casualty treatment and psychological intervention. Additionally, the exercise aims to explore operational models for cross-border joint medical rescue and further enhance the medical support coordination and emergency response capabilities of the two militaries, according to He Zhen, chief director of the Chinese exercise directorate.