China's Wing Loong-2 large UAV conducts plateau weather observation

BEIJING -- China's Wing Loong-2 high-altitude large civil unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has recently conducted its first plateau weather observation test, according to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

Wing Loong-2 took off from the Hongyuan Airport in the Aba Tibetan-Qiang autonomous prefecture in Southwest China's Sichuan province. It then carried out the high-altitude meteorological observation test on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, said the AVIC, the country's leading planemaker.

This move is significant for China to improve the accuracy of the weather forecast in the southwest region to support disaster prevention and mitigation, said the AVIC.

It also provides vital scientific data for meteorological professionals to better understand the evolution of weather and climate systems of the plateau region, alongside other key weather information.

The test was jointly carried out by the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), the AVIC and other related units.

In the next step, the CMA will jointly deploy more flights to conduct the following-up tests focusing on the Sanjiangyuan region, according to Li Liangxu, director of the Meteorological Observation Center under the CMA.

They will push forward the construction of a large UAV-based airborne meteorological observation system to provide more abundant data for the ecological protection of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and tackling climate change, Li said.