​Industry Insight | UAV Field Combat Tests, Breakthroughs in Tourism Planning, State Council Executive Meeting Sets Tone — Low-Altitude Economy Accelerates Shift from Policy-Driven to Scenario-Oriented Implementation

Clusters of UAVs were deployed for real-world emergency rescue during flood disasters in Guangxi, delivering comprehensive communication support, material delivery and night search & rescue services. The 15th Five-Year Plan for Building a Tourism Power supports scenic spots to launch low-altitude tourism programs. The State Council Executive Meeting designated the low-altitude economy as one of six emerging pillar industries, with its 2025 output value approaching 6 trillion yuan. An aerospace electronics market report estimates the global avionics market size reached approximately USD 43.6 billion in 2025. The low-altitude economy has achieved simultaneous upgrading across three dimensions: top-level design, application scenarios and field verification, shifting from "policy-driven development" to "scenario-based implementation".

1. Real-World Flood Rescue in Guangxi: UAV Clusters Build a New Emergency Rescue Barrier

In July 2026, sustained impact from Typhoon Mekkhak brought extreme heavy rainfall to Nanning, Guigang and other areas of Guangxi. Multiple towns in Hengzhou City suffered widespread inundation, with roads cut off, power outages and complete communication blackouts across numerous zones.

Faced with this critical crisis, a joint UAV rescue team consisting of government, enterprise and civilian volunteers took off immediately, acting as "sky eyes", "airborne base stations" and "aerial supply lines". The Ministry of Emergency Management dispatched two Wing Loong UAVs to restore local communications, while over 1,300 national comprehensive fire and rescue personnel were mobilized for disaster relief. A UAV rescue detachment of Guangxi’s national defense mobilization professional support team rushed to the frontlines in Guigang with 8 team members and 11 UAV units.

Scenario 1: Airborne base stations reconnect isolated disaster zones

Defying severe thunderstorms, high-altitude icing and other harsh weather, Wing Loong UAVs were the first to reach cut-off areas in Hengzhou City, erecting temporary aerial mobile communication base stations that served more than 34,000 affected residents in total.

Scenario 2: Infrared thermal imaging enables precise night search & rescue

Equipped with infrared thermal imaging devices and high-power searchlights, UAVs greatly improved the efficiency and accuracy of nighttime rescue operations. Trapped personnel at Guigang Post E-Commerce Logistics Park were ultimately located through continuous voice broadcasts from UAVs.

Scenario 3: Uninterrupted aerial delivery of emergency supplies

Guangxi Beitou Low-Altitude Co., Ltd. deployed logistics UAVs, search & rescue UAVs and agricultural plant protection drones to undertake material delivery, disaster assessment and personnel rescue missions. Over two days, four medium-sized UAVs airlifted more than 12 tons of daily necessities. Civilian UAV operators also joined the relief efforts, with one drone delivering 7 tons of noodles to supply stranded residents with essential food.

Meanwhile, waterborne rescue equipment including mobile pontoon bridges provided coordinated support. China Anneng Rescue Team deployed a 60-meter floating pontoon platform capable of carrying 500 people at a time, successfully evacuating over 6,000 trapped teachers and students within only 11 hours.

The field operation also exposed existing bottlenecks: severe electromagnetic interference in disaster zones compressed the effective control range of UAVs from the usual 4–5 kilometers to a maximum of 2 kilometers; there is a prominent shortage of interdisciplinary professional talent; standardized emergency takeoff and landing sites are insufficient.

2. National Tourism Power Plan: Scenic Spots Encouraged to Develop Low-Altitude Tourism

On July 7, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism released the 15th Five-Year Plan for Building a Tourism Power. The plan clearly states that China will boost R&D and manufacturing of amusement facilities, cruise yachts, low-altitude tourism equipment, immersive experience hardware and safety detection & monitoring platforms. It supports qualified scenic spots to carry out low-altitude tourism activities under strict safety guarantees.

The plan also encourages eligible industrial enterprises to launch exhibition scenarios showcasing advances in aerospace, shipbuilding, automobile and other manufacturing sectors, creating distinctive industrial tourism products and routes.

Additionally, it requires tourist attractions to improve emergency response plans for aerial sightseeing and water-based projects to enhance emergency disposal capacity. High-risk scenic spots are urged to establish joint response mechanisms with nearby professional emergency rescue teams and aviation rescue forces.

From the national Party newspaper clarifying three core principles for low-altitude consumption to the national tourism power plan incorporating low-altitude tourism into national strategy, low-altitude consumption is evolving from a conceptual idea to standardized, regular commercial operation.

3. State Council Executive Meeting Sets Strategic Tone: Low-Altitude Economy Listed Among Six Emerging Pillar Industries

On July 10, Premier Li Qiang presided over an executive meeting of the State Council to discuss the cultivation of emerging pillar industries. The meeting confirmed six core emerging pillar sectors: integrated circuits, aerospace, biomedicine, low-altitude economy, new energy storage and intelligent robots.

Collectively, the six industries generated nearly 6 trillion yuan in output value in 2025, with a projected scale exceeding 10 trillion yuan by 2030. Among them, integrated circuits and aerospace represent cutting-edge technologies directly competing in the global market; biomedicine and the low-altitude economy boast solid industrial foundations and are expected to achieve large-scale commercial breakthroughs first.

The meeting called for full-chain efforts to drive large-scale development of emerging pillar industries, strengthen basic research and breakthroughs in core hardware and software, support diversified technical routes, prioritize application-driven innovation and accelerate technological iteration and industrial ecosystem improvement. It also mandated stronger factor support, optimized regulatory frameworks and guided regions to pursue differentiated development tailored to local conditions.

Notably, UAV applications have expanded beyond agricultural plant protection and emergency rescue to low-altitude sightseeing, logistics delivery and urban air mobility. Elevated from a "new growth engine" to an official emerging pillar industry, the low-altitude economy continues to grow in strategic status and industrial value.

4. Avionics Industry Report: Low-Altitude Economy Generates New Demand for Avionics Systems

On July 14, the Aviation Industry Network released the 2026 Avionics Market Analysis & Development Trend Report. The report estimates the global avionics system market reached approximately USD 43.6 billion in 2025, including USD 33.1 billion for new aircraft avionics and USD 10.5 billion for aftermarket avionics services.

The report points out that as domestically produced civil aircraft enter mass delivery and low-altitude aircraft advance through airworthiness certification, competition in the avionics industry is shifting from individual equipment performance to system integration, software assurance, airworthiness support, mass production delivery and sustained service capabilities.

Industry focus on eVTOL development has also shifted from long-term market size forecasts to type certification, system safety, operational infrastructure and large-scale manufacturing capacity. Key avionics requirements for low-altitude aircraft include high-integrity flight control systems, multi-source navigation, sense-and-avoid technology, low-altitude data links, as well as battery and propulsion health management. Short-term market opportunities will first emerge in onboard payload equipment, verification flight testing, ground support systems and operational supporting solutions for specific vertical scenarios.

In China’s domestic avionics supply chain, communication and navigation enterprises account for around 26% of market participants, display & control system firms 21%, and flight control system manufacturers 19%. In terms of ownership structure, private enterprises make up over half of all suppliers, with state-owned enterprises accounting for roughly 29%.

Observation & Outlook

The four updates covered in this issue of Industry Insight outline a complete industrial chain for the low-altitude economy spanning top-level strategic design to real-world field verification:

The Guangxi flood rescue operation served as a rigorous stress test, practically verifying the irreplaceable value of UAVs under extreme "road, power and communication blackout" conditions and accumulating invaluable experience for building a national low-altitude emergency response system.

The national tourism power plan unlocks large-scale commercial scenarios for low-altitude consumption; low-altitude tourism has been written into national strategy for the first time, forming a complete policy framework supported by both central Party newspaper guidance and national state planning.

The State Council Executive Meeting elevated the low-altitude economy to the strategic status of an emerging pillar industry. With the six core sectors hitting nearly 6 trillion yuan in output value in 2025 and projected to surpass 10 trillion yuan by 2030, the directives of "full-chain development", "diversified technical routes" and "differentiated regional growth" provide clear guidance for industrial advancement.

The avionics market report reveals deep technological depth within the industry: a USD 43.6 billion global avionics market, private enterprises holding over half of domestic supply capacity, and new technical demands for eVTOL flight control and sense-and-avoid systems demonstrate how the low-altitude economy is driving upstream technological upgrading.

This aligns with the sustained focus of CHINA ZWSJ AIR GROUP. Clearer top-level design broadens industrial development tracks; richer application scenarios create complete commercial closed loops; more comprehensive field testing matures industry standards. Driven by the 15th Five-Year Plan, the low-altitude economy is accelerating its transformation from policy-driven exploration to tangible scenario-based implementation.

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