Last week, NOAA announced that they had awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, based in Georgia, for two specialized C-130J Hercules to become the next generation of hurricane hunter aircraft.
It makes sense as the USAFR’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron “Hurricane Hunters” at Keesler flies the same general type, 10 WC-130Js, and has done so since 1999.
Of course, this will probably lead to a bean counter in D.C. to either push the weather recon mission to NOAA altogether or absorb it into the 53rd WRS– with the latter likely.
The NOAA C-130s will replace the service’s two long-serving WP-3D Orions, nicknamed “Kermit” (N42RF) and “Miss Piggy” (N43RF), which have operated since the mid-1970s. The Navy, which helps support these old birds, is looking to divest its last P-3 platforms, VQ-1’s EP-3E Aries II, in 2025, while VXS-1 operates a handful of NP-3s on research roles, so the writing is on the walls.
“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 Rear Adm. Chad Cary, director of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and 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.”