UAVs for Hurricanes Coming

[unhappycamper]

UAVs for Hurricanes Coming
By Colin Clark Friday, September 5th, 2008 10:54 am
Posted in Air, Homeland Security

The Air Force has been sending somewhat rational people in powered aluminum tubes straight into hurricanes since 1943 and these brave souls are starting to get help from unmanned aerial systems.

Some folks wonder whether the Hurricane Hunter flights are much more than great publicity for the Air Force.

As someone who lived in southern Florida, lost his apartment to Hurricane Andrew and covered two other hurricanes I can assure you they are. Satellites and buoys gather important data that help fill out the picture on hurricanes but the Hurricane Hunters provide the information that makes the difference. Their data increases the accuracy of hurricane forecasts by roughly 30 percent.

Imagine what cued UAVs could do, with their long linger time and ability to be loaded with sophisticated instruments to improve that. So I asked the head weather recon officer of the Hurricane Hunters, Air Force Lt. Col. Jon Talbot, about UAVs (or UAS or whatever we’re calling them these days) whether their time has come. Bottom line, not yet. They possess excellent linger time and can fly lower than manned aircraft inside the storm, but the ones being used so far can’t muster enough speed or range to regularly provide additional data on hurricanes.

“I think we are still many years away,” Talbot said Friday morning. So far, an AAI Corp.-made drone called the Aerosonde has penetrated at least one hurricane, Noel. But the plane is small and lacks power, speed and range.


Rest of article at: http://www.dodbuzz.com/2008/09/05/uavs-for-hurricanes-coming/?wh=wh