NOAA deploys "hurricane hunter" aircraft to support weather satellite data validation project
The view from the left side of NOAA Lockheed WP-3D Orion N42RF as the aircraft flies over the North Atlantic Ocean during a mission on Jan. 27, 2018 to collect weather data as part of the 2018 Ocean Winds project.
NOAA deployed one of the agency's two Lockheed WP-3D Orion "hurricane hunter" aircraft (N42RF) to Shannon, Ireland on Jan. 24 to support an ongoing NOAA Satellite and Information Service project to measure ocean surface winds in winter storms over the North Atlantic. The project helps NOAA calibrate and validate data collected by weather satellite sensors. The project also helps scientists and engineers improve the quality and consistency of satellite-based weather data. This is the second year that NOAA has conducted this project from Ireland. The aircraft is based at the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland, Florida.
