With a desert climate and an average annual rainfall of just 100 millimetres, the UAE is funding a number of research projects to bring rain from the sky. A team of researchers at the University of Reading in England will begin testing drones that would fly into the clouds and generate rainfall from the clouds using electrical pulses, near Dubai, CNN reported.
The research team, modelling cloud behaviour, found that if water droplets have different electrical charges, they are more likely to merge and grow into large raindrops than if they have the same charge. The size of raindrops is important because in places like the UAE, where cloud cover is high above the surface and temperatures are high, raindrops evaporate before they reach the ground.
The British researchers built four two-metre wingspan, catapult-launched, 40-minute flight time, autopilot-controlled drones for testing. Sensors in the machines detect temperature, humidity and the electrical charge of their environment, and are also equipped with a device that emits the appropriate electrical pulses. The latter device is a joint development with engineers at the University of Bath. A paper reporting the scientific results of the project was published in the Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology in the first half of May.
Recent article
Electric airplane News & Articles
The Hungarian solar-powered airplane plan has hit the world press
Electric airplane News & Articles
NASA’s first electric aircraft to take off soon
Drones News & Articles
An Australian drone can plant 40,000 trees in a day
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Airbus and ITA Airways jointly develop Italian urban air transport
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Airbus and ITA Airways jointly develop Italian urban air transport
Air taxi News & Articles
The first air taxi airport opens in Britain
Electric airplane News & Articles
Slovenian Pipistrel becomes part of Textron’s electric aviation business
Additional aircraft News & Articles
Another aircraft: the air yacht
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Testing Volocopter’s eVTOL
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
A solar-powered device on Mars could make rocket fuel from waste water
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Suzuki promises to launch flying taxis by 2025
Drones News & Articles
Amazon drone delivery is far from taking off
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
CycloTech and Yamato reveal innovative cargo eVTOLconcept with CycloRotors
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
EHang Receives Pre-Order for 100 Units of EH216 AAVs from Indonesian Aviation Company Prestige Aviation
Drones News & Articles
A Hungarian company is developing an agricultural drone with a French partner
Additional aircraft News & Articles
A futuristic, electric rival to the rocket backpack is already in operation
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
FedEx puts drones to work
Additional aircraft News & Articles
British paramedics to start testing rocket backpack rescue in the summer
Air taxi News & Articles
Air Greenland acquires VX4 Air Greenlands from
Air taxi News & Articles
Japanese flying taxis now almost have a timetable
Flying Cars News & Articles
French startup to launch hydrogen-powered flying race car
Drones News & Articles
The silent spy drone designed for the Pentagon is ready
Flying Cars News & Articles
Bruno Senna joins Airspeeder as pilot and ambassador
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
EHang Receives Pre-order for 60 Units of Passenger-grade AAVs from AEROTREE, Malaysia’s Leading Aviation Company, under Strategic Partnership
Additional aircraft News & Articles
NASA may launch inflatable stingray drones to Venus
Drones News & Articles
The Gambit combat drone opens a new era in air warfare
Drones News & Articles
Hydraulic drone that will have a much longer range than its electric counterpart
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
Swiss buys solar-powered sustainable kerosene
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Minor accident at Joby Aviation
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
Airbus tests hydrogen propulsion on its A380 prototype
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
CAAC Formally Adopts Special Conditions for EH216-S AAV Type Certification
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
A Chinese company has shown how their eVTOL can cope with the most critical part of flying
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
World’s first electric air taxis to be launched in Japan
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
Hungarian engineers develop unique parallel hybrid-electric aircraft propulsion system
Air taxi News & Articles
Startup Natilus is set to revolutionise air freight transport
Drones News & Articles
Drones go on duty at the giant Singapore seaport
News & Articles Points of interest
Hydrogen-powered, hypersonic aircraft
Flying Cars News & Articles
Why don’t we use flying cars ?
Additional aircraft News & Articles
MIT’s miniature robots fly using artificial muscles
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
eVTOLs could revolutionise air rescue
More articles you may be interested in...
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Leo electric air taxi
Additional aircraft Flying Cars News & Articles
NASA and Uber: flying cars are coming
Drones News & Articles
What you need to know about the European LUC grant for drone flying
Additional aircraft News & Articles
A futuristic, electric rival to the rocket backpack is already in operation
Flying Cars News & Articles
J-2000 flying car
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
China’s State Council Urges Acceleration of Strategic Planning and Standards Formulation for Urban Air Mobility
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
The first air taxi service is about to start
Flying Cars News & Articles
Orca is the Hungarian air ambulance
EVTOL & VTOL Flying Cars News & Articles
The flying car made for the Tokyo Olympics performed well in the tests
Additional aircraft News & Articles
Testing the Phoenix hydrogen-powered aircraft
Additional aircraft News & Articles
The jetpack soldiers are coming
Additional aircraft News & Articles
Easy to control Hill Helicopters
Additional aircraft News & Articles
NASA focuses on air mobility developments
Drones News & Articles
Israeli drones deliver sushi and ice cream
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
EHang Announces Commencement of Operations in Yunfu Production Facility, and to Host Investor Day on August 18, 2021
Flying Cars News & Articles
Bruno Senna joins Airspeeder as pilot and ambassador
Drones News & Articles
Drone can also make irrigation more efficient
Air taxi News & Articles
The German air taxi took off
Additional aircraft News & Articles
Jetson family kind of future
Drones News & Articles
Satellite carrying drone
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Embraer has found a partner in Scandinavia to develop its eVTOL concept
Additional aircraft News & Articles
GE promises five times less fuel-efficient aircraft engines by 2030
Flying Cars News & Articles
They will soon be able to produce the Slovak flying car
Additional aircraft News & Articles
MIT’s miniature robots fly using artificial muscles
Flying Cars News & Articles
Swedish model: full production capacity of the first commercially available flying car by 2022
Additional aircraft News & Articles
First balloon flight to the North Pole in three years
Flying Cars News & Articles
J-2000 flying car
Flying Cars News & Articles
Orca is the Hungarian air ambulance
Drones News & Articles
What do drones mean ?
Flying Cars News & Articles
The Lilium landing site in Florida is already under construction