Anti-fog drones to clear skies at China’s airports, ports

A new flexible-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) will be used in the first round of anti-fogging tests in airports and ports, a National People's Congress deputy said Tuesday.

The UAV, or drone, made by a Hubei-based life-saving equipment company under the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, can carry up to 700 kilograms of anti-fogging catalysts to clear up fog within a range of 5 kilometers, said company chairman Ma Yongsheng.

The UAV is convenient to use and has few requirements for takeoff and landing, making it fit for use in airports and ports, Ma said, China News Service reported Wednesday.

The new UAV finished its successful maiden flight in February 2013. It can fly up to 5,000 meters for three hours on a full charge.

"It will help to improve visibility at airports and ports, but it won't be effective over a larger area as the cost of the chemicals is too high and it can't clean up all the smog," said Huang Jun, a professor with the School of Aeronautic Science and Engineering at Beihang University.

"China has about 10 years' history of using UAV anti-fogging technology but there is still no mature technology in cleaning smog.

This new UAV is only useful to clean fog but cannot effectively kill chemical particles like PM2.5," Wu Dui, an environmental science professor with Ji'nan University, told the Global Times.

Smog has been a major concern for the Chinese public since early 2013. Frequent bouts of smog have led to a reduction of industrial activities, raised pollution alerts and forced authorities to impose bans on vehicle use, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Currently the UAV is being trialed in Xiangyang in Hubei province, Kunming in Yunnan province, Baotou in Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, Shenyang in Liaoning province and Qiqihar in Heilongjiang province, the Hubei-based Chutian Metropolis Daily reported in March 2013.