In the eye of the storm How specialized aircrafts plunge into hurricanes to collect scientific data to help us understand their inner workings reutersgraphics
The four-engine turboprop P-3, which was produced by Lockheed until 1990, is being replaced in U.S. service by the jet-powered Boeing P-8 Poiseidon.
The aircraft are based at NOAA’s Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland, Florida, but have supported hurricane and tropical storm research in the Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and the Eastern Pacific. Each mission lasts eight to 10 hours, with much of the flight time taking place inside the hurricane or in extreme conditions.
During the mission, crews drop instruments called dropwindsondes, which float down through the hurricane on parachutes while sending data back to the aircraft. The systems for deploying them are similar to those used in military P-3s to drop sonobuoys, used to listen for submarines. This uncrewed aircraft system is able to operate in areas too dangerous for humans. Its airframe is designed to handle considerable damage and can be controlled through onboard programming or by operators onboard the main aircraft, according to NOAA.
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