On October 21, the Rainbow-3 Medium-size Unmanned Aircraft Geophysics Integrated Measurement System designed independently by China had made its first public appearance on 2015 China Mining. This marks the Rainbow-3 System has officially transferred to the field of geological survey and mineral exploration for civil use and entered the stage of commercialized utilization after 2 years of pilot production.

The Rainbow-3 System is the first medium-size unmanned aircraft geophysics integrated measurement system developed for geological survey mineral exploration in the world, integrated with advanced aerial magnetic and radiometric measuring methods. The system will be mainly used in the fields of basic geological survey, metal minerals exploration, radioactive minerals, etc. Compared with the traditional manned aircraft geophysics exploration system, this system features high safety factor, high measurement quality, high efficiency, high intellectualized degree, and the relative technologies hold a leading position in the world.

The Rainbow-3 System is jointly developed by the Institute of Geophysical and Geochemical Exploration of CGS, China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics, the Airborne Survey and Remote Sensing Center of Nuclear Industry and other organizations. With the joint efforts of the China’s scientific researchers, they have achieved the pragmatic promotion and reform, development of methods and techniques, test and demonstration, and large-scale production of the system. The monthly quantity of work of a single aircraft can be over 20,000 measuring kilometers, and the average quantity of available measured lines of a single aircraft can be 1200 kilometers, which has realized all-year and all-climate works, reasonably avoided the time conflicts of civil airplanes, and achieved the improvement of production efficiency and work quality.

The annual China Mining is an important platform for carrying out pragmatic cooperation in Chinese and foreign mining area. The congress covers many industrial chains in the fields of geological survey, exploration and development, techniques and equipments, mining services, etc. It has provided good channel for Chinese and foreign mining enterprises cooperating with each other in Chinese and international markets, and created opportunities for building business networks and extending business cooperation.

For a long time, our airborne geophysical measuring equipment has been restricted by international ferry flight, transportation of equipments, repair and maintenance of overseas equipments, site conditions of different countries and costs. The Rainbow-3 System has realized modular production and containerization, which has greatly improved the efficiency of equipment transportation, repair and maintenance. The public appearance of the Rainbow-3 System is the perfect exhibition of domestic unmanned aircrafts showing on the global stage by realizing civilian industrial application. It has realized transition from technological achievements to industrial development, and it will boost the utilization of the homemade unmanned aircraft in the world’s geological survey.