China tests drone-based cloud seeding in Xinjiang to bring rain to dry regions

The trial is being carried out with the TB-A strike and reconnaissance UAV, typically used to carry ammunition during military operations

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The TB-A drone can carry as many as 24 silver iodide rods and 200 smoke grenades – two types of rain-inducing agents. Photo: China Meteorological Administration

Published: 10:00pm, 7 Aug 2024Updated: 12:08am, 8 Aug 2024

China has deployed a long-endurance dual-use drone in a cloud-seeding trial in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the first time the controversial practice has been carried out by an unmanned aerial vehicle in the dry western region.

The trial is being carried out with the TB-A strike and reconnaissance drone, also known as the Twin-tailed Scorpion A.

The unmanned aircraft, typically used to carry ammunition during military operations, has been loaded with silver iodide rods as part of a 45-day cloud-seeding trial that began on Sunday.

The drone is operating in the autonomous region’s easternmost city of Hami, with a focus on the Dongtian mountain area, to test its cloud-seeding capabilities in high-altitude areas, according to Communist Party-owned newspaper Xinjiang Daily.

Hami – known for a variety of sweet melon – is in one of the most water-scarce parts of China and has been hit hard by climate change, with frequent droughts and high temperatures.

The TB-A can carry as many as 24 silver iodide rods and 200 smoke grenades – both rain-inducing agents – and has been equipped with cloud particle detection and wind radar equipment for the trial, according to Xinhua.

The TB-A, developed by the civilian company Sichuan Tengden, is an upgraded version of the TB-001, a combat drone that has been deployed by the People’s Liberation Army for operations around Taiwan and Japan.