Story ID: 
NOAA Selects C-130Js as Next-generation Hurricane Hunters
By: Charles Alcock
Caption: U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration wants to increase storm forecast accuracy
Word Count: 347
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has commissioned Lockheed Martin Aeronautics to supply a pair of its C-130J Hercules utility aircraft equipped for hurricane surveillance missions. The agency announced the contract on Friday, saying the four-engine aircraft will serve as its next generation of “hurricane hunters.”
The new C-130Js are expected to enter service in 2030, replacing WP-3D Orion aircraft that have been deployed in the NOAA fleet since the mid-1970s. The contract, which is funded in part by the 2023 Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, covers the aircraft plus the design and installation of specialist equipment needed for their flying laboratory role. NOAA has an option to add more aircraft if necessary.
According to the agency, data collected in aircraft improves the accuracy of its forecasts by 15% to 20% for track and between 10% and 15% for intensity. NOAA aims to produce longer lead times for tropical cyclone forecasts to support more effective decision-making about evacuations in growing coastal populations.
New Equipment for Flying Lab
Both the C-130Js will be customized with the same multi-mode radar as the existing WP-3D aircraft. However, the larger new models will be able to carry increased payloads of scientific equipment, including automated dropsonde launchers, high-speed internet connectivity, vertically scanning Doppler radar, and ports for research instruments for surface winds, waves, and oceanographic sensing.
The C-130Js will also be able to launch and control uncrewed aircraft systems to expand NOAA’s ability to gather data in new and under-measured areas of storm environments. They will be based at NOAA’s Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland, Florida.
“Adding these highly capable C-130J aircraft to our fleet ensures NOAA can continue to provide the public, decision-makers, and researchers with accurate, timely, and life-saving information about extreme weather events,” said Chad Cary, director of the NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations. “NOAA is using our more than 50 years of experience gathering data on hurricanes and other atmospheric phenomena to enhance the capabilities of these specialized new aircraft.”