I thought that the rescue efforts were pretty large scale, with the mobilization of so many troops and personnel and equipment. I suppose they are trying pretty hard, but they were way too slow. Most of the victims have been waiting way past 3 days, and still, there are places that rescue workers have not gone to.
Did you notice that the Black-hawk helicopters in service with the PLA? Apparently, those helicopters are probably the few that are more capable in mountainous areas. The other one is the dolphin type "Eurocopters", but I haven't seen any of those yet. In short, China lacks a decent helicopter force.
One thing that was interesting though - the airborne paratroopers. They were doing two strange things, that I haven't the US Army or any other force do. The paratroopers were using the mattress-canopy type parachutes, as opposed to the standard round parachutes that most standard Airborne forces employ. They must really trust their troops, as the mattress type are much harder to handle, and the landing speed is generally faster(so more people break their legs!). The second thing is that they are jumping out of the back of a transport plane. This is unusual, as most airborne are not taught to jump that way. (They jump out of the side door behind the wing.) The only ones who do jump out of the back is special forces.
They should really send us over to SiChuan to do some rebuilding. But this time, they should stop using bricks and use reinforced concrete instead. Of Course, it won't be so easy anymore.
