Drones

China’s ingenious ‘death zone’ spy drones near invisible to radar

China is testing a tiny bat-sized spy drone the country hopes will help it dominate a region of the atmosphere known as the ‘death zone’.

Also known as ‘near space,’ the area begins roughly 20km (12 miles) above sea-level and is regarded as a death zone for drones as the thin air makes it hard for them to generate lift. Simultaneously, the extremely low temperatures of the zone means that the machines’ electronic components will likely fail.

One way the Chinese are hoping to combat the its negative effects is by reducing the number of electronic components in these new drones. Last month, at a research facility in Mongolia, China successfully tested an experimental drone at an altitude of 25km (15 miles), the South China Morning Post reports.