As the air pollution situation in China worsens, local officials are turning to drones in a desperate move to combat an environmental crisis threatening to choke the country's booming productivity.
The test of the new drone was successfully conducted at an airport in China's Hubei Province on Saturday, giving the country a glimmer of hope that there might be a technological answer to the historic levels of smog currently plaguing the country.
See also: China's Pollution Is So Bad You Can See Smog From Space
China's drone is equipped with airborne catalyzers to disperse smog and has the ability to create artificial wind currents, two tools the country hopes to use to reduce the overall effects of air pollution.

Video: YouTube, China View

But despite its lofty mission, the unnamed drone, which was reportedly manufactured by a subsidiary of the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China, isn't very impressive visually.
Rather than the sleek military drones we've become familiar with, or even the amateur quadcopters that are becoming increasingly popular, China's smog-busting drone looks like an throwback to the WWII era.

But despite its somewhat retro apperance, according to one of the engineers affiliated with the project, the drone features autonomous navigation controls that allow it to fly in even the heaviest smog conditions. Additionally, the drone is equipped with a parachute, allowing it to safely land in the event it malfunctions during a flight.

Image: Google Maps

No plans have been announced as to when or even if the drone test will become a full-fledged part of the country's pollution management policy.
China's pollution has reached new highs in recent years, with the most recent episode, which occurred in February, forcing cars off the road due to poor visibility.
BONUS: Shanghai's Disappearing Skyline: 21 Images of Record Pollution

Houses and buildings are covered with haze in Shanghai on Dec. 6.
Two men fly kites next to the Huangpu River on Dec. 5 in Shanghai.
Houses and buildings are covered with heavy haze in Shanghai on Dec. 4.
A pedestrian walks on a road in heavy smog in Shanghai on Dec. 5.
Workers wear the masks to protect them from air pollution in Shanghai on Dec. 6.
People use escalators with skyscrapers covered with haze in the background in Shanghai on Dec. 6.
A tourist with a protective mask takes her self portrait next to the Huangpu River covered with heavy haze in Shanghai on Dec. 6.
A view of skyscarpers in Shanghai.
College students wearing masks pose with plastic bags during a performance art to raise awareness of air pollution on Dec. 5, in Xi'an, China.
A view of the barely visible Shanghai skyline.
A woman wears a mask at night in Shanghai.
A view of the hazy Shanghai skyline at night.
Another view of Shanghai buildings covered in smog.
Pollution made it hard to see traffic lights in Shanghai.
Another view of Shanghai covered by thick air pollution.
The sun peeks through a thick layer of smog in Shanghai.
A night view of pollution wrapping around skyscrapers in Shanghai.
A view of the smog from 45 floors up at Wheelock Place and West Nanjing Road in Shanghai.
Citizens walk along the river with a barely visible city in the background.
Another somber view of the river in Shanghai.
There are in fact two buildings there.
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