China to fight pollution with drones

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China declared a "war on pollution" this week, and is now fortifying its arsenal with a new weapon: smog-clearing drones.

The drones work by shooting chemicals into the air, freezing pollutants and making them fall to the ground, according to state media. The unmanned vehicles currently carry about 176 pounds of haze-scrubbing chemicals, while future versions will hold more than 1,500 pounds.

 The drones, which come with a gliding parachute, were developed and manufactured by a Chinese company. State media said that about 100 test flights have been conducted, and more will take place soon at airports and ports in northern China.

The drones are said to be 90% cheaper to operate than the fixed-wing aircraft China uses now to spray the same chemicals.

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