A China-developed airborne sounding system has helped the completion of the country’s first integrated typhoon observation based on a large unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), according to the developer.
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A Wing Loong-10 UAV carried the airborne sounding system to the targeted airspace to observe Typhoon Sinlaku, the third typhoon this year, said the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC).
The typhoon observation was undertaken on Aug. 2 as the storm swept the coastal waters of south China’s Hainan Province.
The UAV dropped 30 sondes, which conducted a stereoscopic scan of the typhoon’s outer cloud system by sending back real-time data on temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind direction and wind speed.
China has achieved steady improvement in forecasting typhoons, while deficient maritime observation data limited study and technology upgrade in this field.
The airborne sounding system is helpful in improving typhoon forecast as it features stronger, targeting ability as well as broader detection range and greater flexibility, said CASIC.
The system is expected to play a role in various fields such as meteorological emergency, disaster monitoring, ecological monitoring and weather modification.
Integrated typhoon observation was initiated by the China Meteorological Administration.
It marked the success of China’s first marine and typhoon integrated observation carried by a large UAV, filling a gap the country had in the field.