Insect swarms can electrify air the same way as thunderstorms.

The reason. Why electricity in flashes of lightning is so powerful is that the thundercloud loads electricity into them until electricity travels to the ground. There is the possibility that insect swarms would get the same electric load as thunderclouds. If insects are flying at high altitudes and radio impulses are hitting them. That can raise the electric load on their body to a high level. 

When small insects flap their wings. They can form static electricity in their tiny hair. The insect's hair acts like all other hair. And when it moves, it forms static electricity. Even if the voltage of one insect is not very high,  billions of insects can form quite a high-power electric phenomenon. 

There is also possible that static electricity forms the ion channel in the air which conducts lightning to a certain point. Even a weak ion channel makes the point where electricity can travel easier than elsewhere. And that thing can cause problems with communication systems. 

Insects are searching warm places. And the electric field can disturb high-speed data communication. Also, there is the possibility that insects can aim lightning at that communication equipment. 

Also, insects themselves can load with electricity. When insect swarm flies in the electromagnetic field like radio waves that radiowaves load electricity onto their bodies. When radio waves are loading electricity onto the insect's bodies they face a similar effect as starlings when they are sitting on electric wires. 

They will not get an electric shock because they are not touching the ground. When starlings touch the ground. Electricity travels away from it. 

The electric load continues to grow until it would hit to ground. But the insect itself will not feel anything. But when that insect sits on something. Electricity travels out from it. And if that thing is some kind of electric device that electric shock can disturb or even destroy the system. 

https://www.sciencealert.com/insect-swarms-can-electrify-the-air-as-much-as-a-thunderstorm

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Plasmoid weapons

In some theoretical solution, the big size aerial vehicle like saucer-shaped airship would be used as the artificial thunder cloud. In this case, the flying saucer would be loaded with high voltage electricity, and then it would point the antenna to the target. That means that the lightning would transfer the electricity to any target, what the users if that "UFO" want. And for loading the system with electricity can be used high power radars, what will transfer the electricity to that target.

There are two ways to make an effective ion cannon. Another way is to use two particle accelerators, which are installed one side another. That means that the ion cannon shoots particles what has opposite polarity. In this case, the electromagnetic force will keep the beam in the tight form, because the particles would suck each other together.

Another way is to load the target with opposite polarity, what the ion cannon use. In this version, the ions would be sent to the air like a cloud. When the object would be loaded with the opposite polarity, it will suck the ions to impact it, and then that causes a very bad situation in the systems of that aircraft because high-voltage ions would transfer the electricity to that target.

When we are thinking about ion and electron cannons, we might think the effect of those weapons as similar to lightning. Those weapons can be very sharp, and the hit of the ions or electrons would make sure by using ion channel, what is like the tube of ionized gas, what would lead the ion ray to target.

When we are thinking about the plasmoid weapons, what are "cousins" of ion cannons, we might mean the systems, what heats the water drops in very high temperature. In that case, the water molecules would be ionized, and the extremely hot water can shoot through the accelerator. The hit would be sure to load the target with opposite polarity, which makes the plasma ball acting as a missile. But if that thing can remove the electric load, would the plasmoid weapon become ineffective.