Arthur McMiler
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics has secured a contract, valued at $847.2 million as per a SAM.gov post, to build two C-130J Hercules aircraft for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to replace its current WP-3D Orion hurricane hunter aircraft in service since the mid-1970s.
The procurement is partly funded under the 2023 Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act and comes with options for additional aircraft, NOAA said Friday.
The agency added that its new C-130Js, expected to be operational by 2030, will be modified into flying laboratories to support its hurricane and environmental research.
NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad noted that the agency continues to invest for the protection of lives and properties. “These new aircraft will be filled with state-of-the-art technology developed by NOAA and our partners, greatly enhancing our ability to gather critical data on hurricanes, atmospheric rivers and our changing climate,” he said.
The Hercules aircraft are cargo-type planes capable of accommodating larger updated instruments developed based on experience with the WP-3D Orions. The new planes will have multi-mode radars similar with the Orions’ sensors, as well as high-speed internet connectivity and instrument ports for various weather research tools.
The C-130Js will also be capable of launching and maneuvering uncrewed aircraft systems, expanding the aircraft’s hurricane observation capabilities.
In September 2022, NOAA and Anduril Industries launched from a P3 aircraft the UAS Altius into the eye of Hurricane Ian to gather atmospheric data.
