BEIJING, March 3 -- In mid-February of 2022, the snow-capped Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was still in chilly winter. In a remote outpost of a border defense regiment of the PLA Tibet Military Command, soldiers received batches of supplies delivered by a drone.
Most outposts of the regiment are located in the deep forests or snow-capped mountains, where road transportation is not possible. In the past, the delivery of supplies to the outposts was basically done by helicopters and people carrying the supplies on the back. In winter, once the mountain passes are sealed by heavy snow, some outposts will even become "isolated islands in the sea of snow", making the replenishment of supplies a bigger headache for troops in the outposts.
Since 2020, the Logistics Support Department of the Central Military Commission (CMC) have been making joint efforts with the Logistics Department of the PLA Army to solve the problem of supplies delivery for the plateau border defense forces. As the result of careful onsite investigation and research, a UAV logistics team has been formed with UAV helipads set up in mountains and multiple air routes for UAV delivery of supplies successfully opened.
The UAV now plays an increasingly important role in the supplies delivery for remote outposts. The drones can not only send fuel, fresh and non-staple food and other supplies to the outposts, but also quickly deliver medicines and medical devices in case of emergencies.
The Logistics Support Department of the CMC will next promote drone delivery of supplies for more border defense outposts stationed on plateaus and islands.
