China Modifies Military Drones For Weather Monitoring Purpose

China has launched two all-new weather monitoring drones- the Haiyan I UAV and Haiyan II UAV on the basis of Wing Loong/Pterodactyl military-grade UAVs: Pterosaur-10 and Pterosaur-2.

On June 28, China’s National Mobile Observation Service took delivery of first of these drones.

Haiyan I UAV took off from Zigong Lantian Airport in Sichuan for its first flight. It carried out the meteorological refinement vertical detection mission, successfully dropped 6 radiosondes, and completed the first flight of the national mobile observation service Task.

The Haiyan I UAV and Haiyan II are equipped with meteorological loads such as airborne drop-drop sounding system, which can continuously carry out atmospheric vertical profile detection in specific environments, and solve the problems of blank areas of meteorological data and insufficient observation data in complex environments. Provide first-hand meteorological information for important weather processes such as vortex, plateau meteorology, ocean (typhoon), observation of weather and climate-sensitive areas, emergency support, and meteorological disaster prevention, reduction and relief.

Among the two new drones, the Haiyan I UAV has the ability to perform high-speed, high-ceiling flight missions, and the Haiyan II UAV has the ability to perform long-duration and long-range flight missions.

From 2020 to 2022, the "Pterosaur"-10 UAV and the "Pterosaur"-2 UAV respectively carried out the country's first high-altitude large-scale UAV typhoon comprehensive observation test.

Cao Xiaozhong, deputy director of the China Meteorological Administration, said that the establishment of national-level mobile meteorological observation business is the first line of defense for disaster prevention and mitigation by the China Meteorological Administration to implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions on meteorological work and the "Outline for High-quality Meteorological Development (2022-2035).”

Lu Guangshan, chief engineer of the aviation industry, said that the aviation industry will take the delivery of the Haiyan UAV as an opportunity to implement the deployment of the strategic cooperation agreement to be signed with the China Meteorological Administration. Further deepen the pragmatic cooperation with the China Meteorological Administration, and continue to contribute aviation power to the high-quality development of China's meteorological industry.