Japanese scientists have tamed lightning: the world's first drone capable of redirecting thunderstorms has appeared
Kyiv • UNN
Japanese company NTT successfully tested the world's first drone capable of inducing and redirecting lightning to protect infrastructure. During the test on December 13, 2024, the drone withstood a strike of up to 150,000 amperes and remained in the air.
The Japanese company NTT has tested the world's first drone capable of redirecting lightning to protect cities and infrastructure. This was reported by UNN with reference to Tomshardware.
Details
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) boasts that it has developed the world's first lightning guidance system using programmed drones. NTT drones fly in lightning-protected cages.
Following successful tests earlier this year, there is hope that networks of these drones can be installed in cities and key infrastructure as a preventative measure of protection, the publication states.
Experiment
NTT conducted an experiment to find out if drones could be used to prevent lightning damage. The company used ground-based monitoring equipment to determine the level of lightning hazard in the area. When storm clouds approached and fluctuations in the electric field were observed, a lightning-protected drone was sent out for interception.
During a test flight on December 13, 2024, an unmanned aerial vehicle attached to a grounding wire ascended to a height of 300 meters to approach a probable storm cloud. NTT claims that specialists observed a powerful electrical impulse and state that they achieved "the world's first successful lightning induction using a drone."
When lightning struck the drone, it could continue flying thanks to the cage's protection, although it partially melted.
"The key is that the drone could stay airborne after being struck," NTT says, adding that they successfully tested them on discharges up to 150,000 amperes.
NTT intends to continue improving its lightning-inducing and guiding drones. They aim, in particular, to improve the accuracy of predicting lightning location. In addition, research and development of accumulating lightning energy that is safely discharged is planned.
Additional
According to NTT statistics, lightning damage is not a rare occurrence. Every year in Japan, lightning damage amounts to 100 to 200 billion yen (up to 1.4 billion US dollars), and people are also often affected by this natural phenomenon. Meanwhile, conventional lightning rods do not provide the desired coverage and are more difficult to install.
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