In the past two days, the Pacific island nation of Tonga has become the focus of attention: the volcanic ash soaring into the sky, and the statement of the government in the country that "an unprecedented disaster has been encountered", which has worried the world. Such a rare large-scale natural disaster once again highlights the global challenges posed by non-traditional security issues. Although there is no smoke of gunfire in carrying out non-war military tasks such as emergency rescue and disaster relief, it is also a "big test" of a country's army's combat readiness level, equipment situation, delivery ability, and combat style.
Aviation rescue "leading the way"
Due to the geographical proximity, shortly after the disaster, the Australian Air Force's P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft and the New Zealand Army's P-3 Orion patrol aircraft flew to Tonga to assess the damage to important infrastructure such as local roads, ports, and transmission lines. As two types of fighters that have successively served as the main anti-submarine reconnaissance aircraft of Western countries, the P-3 and P-8 are equipped with relatively complete sensors in order to carry out aviation anti-submarine and reconnaissance and surveillance tasks. The images they obtained from the disaster area conveyed the post-disaster situation in Tonga and helped the decision-makers of various countries to make decisions on the next step of action.
On the 17th, a P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft of the Australian Air Force went to Tonga to conduct a disaster loss assessment investigation. (Reuters)
After identifying the situation in the disaster area, various transport aircraft and helicopters may support the "lifeline" in the air as in previous rescue operations. However, due to the impact of volcanic ash, the flight risk of these manned aircraft will increase accordingly, and the efficiency of airport operation will also be reduced, which will have some adverse effects on aviation rescue. Since the damage to the submarine cable cannot be repaired in the short term, Tonga and the outside world have not yet returned to normal levels of contact. Therefore, it is worth observing whether the long-endurance drone with communication relay capability will be put into disaster relief activities next.
"Quasi-aircraft carriers" may become the main force
In addition to the dispatch of warplanes, Australia and New Zealand also dispatched amphibious assault ships and supply ships to participate in the disaster relief.
As far as the supply ship is concerned, although it belongs to the military auxiliary ship, it can play a great role in natural disaster relief with its strong material loading capacity. Taking the New Zealand Navy's supply ship as an example, it can carry 8,000 tons of diesel, 1,550 tons of aviation fuel and 250 tons of fresh water, and the daily freshwater production capacity can reach 100 tons, which can solve the urgent need for fuel shortage and drinking water shortage in the disaster area.
On the 17th, the Australian Navy amphibious assault ship "Adelaide" left Sydney for Tonga. (Reuters)
The Australian Navy's amphibious assault ship Adelaide is also likely to play an important role. It was used to evacuate victims when wildfires broke out in southeastern Australia in January 2020. The Adelaide has a full load displacement of nearly 30,000 tons. It can carry a certain number of helicopters, has a large all-access flight deck, can support helicopter rescue missions, and the docking cabin and vehicle deck set up for amphibious combat missions make it also have a strong vehicle and material carrying capacity. Such "quasi-aircraft carriers" are often "big", and when designed, they emphasize multi-purpose functions, and when necessary, they can even act as shelters and field hospitals for disaster victims by modifying related equipment and modules, so they can play a major role in the relief of natural disasters similar to this "sea-related".
Column Editor-in-Chief: Gu Wanquan Text Editor: Fang Ying Title Image Source: Xinhua News Agency Photo Editor: Yong Kai
Source: Author: Reference News Hui Ye