Anti-hail rockets launched in Namangan

Anti-hail rockets were used in Namangan region during several days of May this year to prevent heavy rainfall and hail, Uzhydromet reported.

According to the agency, short-term heavy precipitation events, including rain, downpours and hail, have become more frequent in Uzbekistan in recent years. In particular, large amounts of precipitation have fallen within a short period, causing mudflows and flooding.

In this regard, a total of 57 Alazan-6 anti-hail rockets were launched into clouds in Kosonsoy and Yangikurgan districts of Namangan region on May 1, 11 and 12 this year to prevent hail. As a result, the hail process was weakened. At the same time, officials noted that short-term hail may still occur even after work is carried out to influence convective clouds.

For reference, Alazan-6 is a special anti-hail rocket designed to protect agricultural crops from hail. It disperses special reagents, such as silver iodide, into clouds using a rocket-propelled method, changing their structure and helping turn destructive hail into harmless rain. The rocket has a caliber of 82 mm and can operate at distances of up to 10 kilometers and at altitudes above 8 kilometers. Alazan-6 is made from environmentally friendly components and breaks into small particles that are completely safe when they fall to the ground after an aerial explosion. The rocket is manufactured in the Russian Federation.

According to an analysis by the Hydrometeorological Service Agency, the number of days with hail-related weather processes in spring and summer was 33 in 2020, 34 in 2021, 29 in 2022, 24 in 2023 and 40 in 2024. Since the beginning of 2025, 13 such days have been recorded.

Earlier, it was reported that artificial rain would be produced in Central Asia for the first time and that Kazakhstan would become the first country in the region to put artificial rain technologies into practice.