An Aircraft-Deployed Modular Net–Shell Rescue Craft System for Rapid Tsunami and Coastal Disaster Response

This work presents a conceptual system-level architecture for rapid tsunami and coastal disaster response based on the aerial deployment of modular rescue craft from a fixed-wing aircraft. The proposed system addresses key limitations of conventional marine- and helicopter-based rescue operations, particularly during the early post-impact phase when infrastructure is damaged, sea states are chaotic, and access to survivors is severely constrained. The core contribution of this work is the integration of: an aircraft with multiple internal deployment bays, lightweight modular rescue craft based on a net-based flotation system combined with a protective shell, and a staged rescue and evacuation architecture that separates survivor stabilization, extraction, medical support, and evacuation. The rescue craft are designed for passive survivability, emphasizing rapid drainage, resistance to repeated wave events, and automatic re-emergence rather than speed or long-duration navigation. Survivors are stabilized on water before transfer to secondary extraction assets such as helicopters, shallow-draft vessels, or temporary floating platforms. Following deployment of the rescue craft, the aircraft’s internal bay volume is conceptually reconfigured to support survivor transport and modular medical triage during evacuation flights. The study is intentionally limited to conceptual design and qualitative analysis. No experimental testing, numerical simulation, or prototype validation is claimed or implied. System behavior and performance are illustrated using conceptual schematics and normalized trend-based plots to support comparative reasoning and architectural evaluation. This work is released with an open humanitarian intent, allowing unrestricted access for researchers, disaster-response agencies, and institutions interested in further development, validation, or adaptation of the proposed architecture.