New Chinese plasma excitation tech improves drone flight efficiency by 88%

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New ******** plasma excitation tech improves drone flight efficiency by 88%

Defense scientists in China have discovered a way to make high-altitude drones more efficient using plasma excitation technology. This technology manipulates airflow using electrically charged particles (plasma) generated on the aircraft’s wings, enhancing aerodynamic performance and enabling longer flights.

High-altitude drones, such as the US RQ-4 Global Hawk or China’s CH-9, can fly very high (above 32,800 feet/10,000 meters) and stay airborne for extended periods (up to 40 hours). However, at those extreme altitudes, the atmosphere becomes significantly thinner, meaning far fewer air molecules are available to generate aerodynamic forces.

This drop in air density drastically reduces overall aerodynamic performance, particularly lift, the upward force that counters gravity and keeps an aircraft aloft.

With less air flowing over the wings, the aircraft has a harder time staying in the air, especially when flying slowly or carrying heavy equipment. Maintaining efficient lift in such conditions is a significant engineering challenge for high-altitude, long-endurance

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Plasma generator for better endurance

While flying slower helps conserve fuel and extend mission time, the reduced speed also hurts lift, especially when airflow starts to separate (break away) from the wing. Researchers observed that when drone speed drops from 15 metres per second to 8 metres per second (under 18.6 mph or 30 kph), the lift-to-drag ratio plummets by over 60%.

To this end, the research team at

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(CARDC)—located in Sichuan province—tested a plasma generator installed on drone wings in a wind tunnel. The generator itself can fire 16,000 volts to ionize air 8,000 times per second, creating plasma bursts that are essentially charged air particles.

The plasma interacts with the airflow around the wing to prevent airflow separation, which, according to the team, improves the lift-to-drag ratio by up to 88%. This allows drones to maintain lift even at very low speeds.

“This technology holds potential for extending the endurance of high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) drones,”

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the scientific team led by Zhang Xin, a senior scientist with the State Key Laboratory of Aerodynamics under CARDC.

Scientists working on closed-loop control system

While the technology seems promising, it comes with a drawback. The charged air particles created by plasma bursts also give way to plasma vortices. These are swirls of air that can cause instability in flight when climbing or turning sharply.

Therefore, although plasma excitation is powerful, it is also risky without proper control systems. To address this, the team is now working on a new ‘closed-loop control system’. The mechanism would adjust plasma output real-time based on drone behavior, akin to an autopilot system specifically for plasma.

Once cracked, the new

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could enable drones to fly much longer, reducing the need for refuelling or recharging. This, in turn, would improve reconnaissance, disaster response, and military surveillance.

Similar plasma-based systems could, in theory, also be applied to other aircraft types or space vehicles, where atmospheric conditions are similarly thin or unpredictable. With growing global interest toward green aviation and low-energy flight systems, plasma control may soon emerge as a key enabling technology.

“Long-endurance drones are indispensable for military/civilian missions—reconnaissance, surveillance, disaster assessment—and their demand keeps growing,” the team behind the innovative plasma generator observed. Some experts believe this might even give China an edge in next-gen aircraft and drone design, potentially advancing aerospace innovation.

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