China and Russia have joined forces and are going ahead with controversial plans to heat and alter the Earth’s atmosphere.

This project, experts claim, has potential military applications as it can disrupt satellite communication, a distinct advantage in the event of war or espionage.

Charged particles, known as ions, create a reflective layer over a specific region of land and cause a satellite communications blackout.

The two superpowers have conducted several joint experiments which altered the chemical composition of the air high above Europe and China plans to expand the use of the technology.

South China Morning Post reports that one experiment involved a region half the size of Britain (126,000 sq km/49,000 square miles) more than 310 miles (500 km) above Eastern Europe.

Vasilsursk, a small Russian town, experienced a spike of electricity which had ten times more negatively charged subatomic particles than nearby regions.

Further experiments included increasing the temperature of an ionised gas in the atmosphere by more than 100°C (212°F).

Electrons were sent into the sky by a specialist facility in Vasilsursk which was built during the cold war.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6504415/China-Russia-working-HEAT-atmosphere.html