On September 28, 2022, the crew of a NOAA WP-3D Orion hurricane hunter aircraft launched a 27-pound uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) into Hurricane Ian. The drone, an Area-I Altius-600, completed a two-hour mission. This was the first time an Altius-600 had been deployed into a hurricane. The successful development and testing of the Altius-600 UAS for hurricane research was made possible through support from the NOAA Uncrewed Systems Operations Center and the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center, which are both part of the NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations. Learn more about the Altius-600 test in NOAA this Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory article.