Japan showcases drone system designed to attract and guide lightning away from infrastructure
NTT has developed the world’s first drone-based system capable of triggering and guiding lightning strikes. The technology provides a mobile platform to protect critical infrastructure and may support future research into capturing and storing lightning energy.
Image credit: NTT
Japan’s Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) has developed and tested the world’s first drone-based system capable of triggering and guiding lightning strikes.
Field tests were conducted near Hamada City in Shimane Prefecture between December 2024 and January 2025. During these trials, drones equipped with a high-voltage discharge mechanism and conductive shielding were flown to an altitude of approximately 300 m (984 feet).
When the electric field intensified with the approach of a thundercloud, ground teams activated a switch to disrupt the field. This sudden change drew a lightning bolt directly to the drone. The drone was shielded by a specially designed cage built to resist lightning strikes.
Testing confirmed that the cage could endure extreme currents up to 150kA. This number is around five times stronger than standard lightning. On top of that, it covered 98% of the drone’s surface. This resulted in the drone staying steady in flight even after taking a direct hit.
Conventional protections like fixed lightning rods are not always effective, especially for remote installations such as wind turbines or open-air venues. NTT’s drone-based approach offers a mobile solution, capable of intercepting lightning and steering it away from vulnerable sites. NTT’s broader aim is to eliminate lightning strikes on key infrastructure and urban centers.
Lightning strikes cause heavy financial damage in Japan each year, with losses estimated between JPY 100 and 200 billion, or roughly USD 700 million to 1.4 billion.
NTT, together with Fujitsu, is working on a new way to manage lightning. Instead of relying on traditional methods, they are using drones to track thunderclouds, trigger lightning, and guide it safely to the ground. They also have plans to capture the energy from these strikes, store it, and find practical uses for it.
The early experiments show real progress in controlling a force that has always been hard to predict. As they keep improving the technology, NTT hopes to roll out drone networks across cities and key infrastructure to cut down damage and eventually turn lightning into a valuable energy source.
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