BEIJING: China has succeeded in completing the first integrated typhoon observation based on a large unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), according to the China Meteorological Administration (CMA).
The UAV-based typhoon observation was conducted on Aug. 2 during Typhoon Sinlaku, the third typhoon this year, sweeping the coastal waters of south China’s Hainan Province, said the CMA.
China’s independently-developed Wing Loong-10 UAV carried out this mission. During the flight, the UAV dropped 30 sondes, which conducted a stereoscopic scan of the outer cloud system together with the millimeter-wave radar.
Then the ground control center received real-time data on the outer cloud system’s conditions, including the temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind direction, wind speed, hydrometeor, etc. It marked the success of China’s first marine and typhoon integrated observation carried by a large UAV, also filling in a blank the country had in this field, according to the CMA.
Before this mission, the test team had conducted four observation tests in various meteorological environments, with different payloads carried by the UAV. Professionals also used multiple detection means, such as the Fengyun meteorological satellite and an unmanned ship, to realize the stereoscopic observation. – Agencies
