ZIPAIR Tokyo, MTI, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are collaborating to mitigate the risk of lightning strikes in aircraft operations.
MTI’s aviation weather service “3DARVI” now incorporates JAXA’s satellite global precipitation map “GSMaP”, with a new feature called “IN FLIGHT mode” developed. This allows pilots to check the latest severe weather information from the cockpit while in flight, enabling them to choose safer flight routes. Operations are set to commence from April, once the necessary arrangements are in place.
Lightning is often triggered when aircraft approach charged clouds, causing several hundred cases of lightning damage annually in Japan. Despite the urgent need to forecast and avoid lightning risk, it has been challenging to access real-time weather information from the cockpit due to communication restrictions related to radio interference.
