Upgraded Lockheed Martin WC-130J Weatherbirds Will Improve Hurricane Hunting

SHAKE AND BLOW

The U.S. Air Force 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, the "Hurricane Hunters,' operates 10 WC-130Js from Biloxi AFB.

by Staff Writers
Marietta GA (SPX) May 11, 2007
Lockheed Martin is in the process of installing a new system on WC-130J 'Hurricane Hunter' aircraft that will greatly enhance the accuracy of data collected during storm tracking missions. The system, called a Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR), will accurately measure wind speed and rainfall at sea level, enabling more precise forecasting of the severity and direction of storms.

Currently the National Hurricane Center (NHC) uses a mathematical formula to create estimates of surface winds. With the new SFMR system, surface winds will be accurately measured.

"The WC-130J SFMR-equipped aircraft will provide the NHC with a higher level of confidence in how fast the wind is blowing at the surface of the water, thereby enhancing the ability to issue more accurate watches and warnings," said Lt. Col. Roy Deatherage of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron. "The NHC is very excited about this new system because it will provide uninterrupted surface wind data throughout the entire mission."

The U.S. Air Force 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, the "Hurricane Hunters,' operates 10 WC-130Js from Biloxi AFB, Miss. The 53rd WRS has been flying WC-130Js since September 2005. Although the squadron had to move its operations to Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga., when hurricane Katrina struck the gulf coast, it did not miss a single mission tasking due to the storm.

Email This Article

SHAKE AND BLOW

First Named Storm Forms Ahead Of Atlantic Hurricane Season

Miami (AFP) May 09, 2007
Subtropical Storm Andrea formed off the southeastern US coast Wednesday, becoming the first named storm of the year three weeks before the Atlantic hurricane season officially starts.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT Bridges Will Rock Safely During Quakes With New Design Faster And Better Emergency Response Through Satellite Telecoms White House Denies Iraq War Hampers Home Rescue Efforts US Control Strategies May Make Flu Epidemics Worse	CLIMATE SCIENCE Urban Poor Part Of Climate Change Equation UN Calls Climate Debate Over New NASA Study Points To Extreme Summer Warming In The Future Greenhouse Gas Emissions In EU-15 Slip
EARTH OBSERVATION Transcontinental Wildfire Emissions Monitored From Space Volcanic Eruptions In Kamchatka NASA Satellite Captures Image Of Georgia Wildfires US Earth-Observing Satellites In Jeopardy	ENERGY TECH Denmark Banks On Offshore Wind Power For Clean Future Coal-Fired Power Stations Dominate Europe's Dirty Thirty Warsaw Energy Summit's Bleak Prospects Self-Sufficient Danish Island Leads The Way In Clean Energy
EPIDEMICS Advances In HIV And TB Vaccines Churning Sea Spurs Rethink Over Global-Warming Models Experts Warn On Gambia AIDS Cure HIV Treatment Goal Elusive	FLORA AND FAUNA Pretoria Development Forces Out Vervet Monkeys An Ancient Bathtub Ring Of Mammoth Fossils Climate Change Impacts Stream Life Wildlife Caught In Web Of Internet Sales
FROTH AND BUBBLE Carbon Monoxide Pollution Over Australia Came From South America With Dump Full, Thousands Of Tonnes Of Trash Fill Naples Streets Indonesia Prosecutors Challenge Newmont Verdict Tree Rings Show Elevated Tungsten Coincides With Nevada Leukemia Cluster	ABOUT US Gene Mutation Linked To Cognition Is Found Only In Humans Climate Changes Caused Neanderthal Extinction On The Iberian Peninsula Sleep And Exercise Critical To A Smarter And Longer Life Ape Gestures Offer Clues To The Evolution Of Human Communication

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement