New Aircraft Set to Join Hurricane Hunter Fleet

Artist's concept of the NOAA Gulfstream G550. (Image credit: Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation)

The Hurricane Hunter fleet is getting an upgrade. NOAA announced Tuesday, July 16th, that it is awarding a 106 million dollar contract to Gulfstream Aerospace Company for a fully modified G550 aircraft that will measure the atmosphere around hurricanes and tropical storms starting in 2028.

The aircraft is the second that NOAA has purchased from Gulfstream since 2019, with the first G550 to be delivered and operational in Spring 2025. The pair of new aircraft are replacements to the NOAA Hurricane Hunter fleet, the Gulfstream IV-SP, operational since 1996. The Gulfstream IV-SP can, "fly high, fast and far with a range of 4,000 nautical miles and a cruising altitude of 45,000 ft., paint[ing] a detailed picture of weather systems in the upper atmosphere surrounding developing hurricanes." The aircraft also support a range of atmospheric missions, especially those over open waters where sensing of weather conditions is lacking.

Other aircraft in NOAA's hurricane aircraft fleet include two Lockheed Martin P-3 Orions which fly directly into hurricanes to measure the atmospheric composition. The three NOAA aircraft, together with the United States Air Force (USAF) 53rd Weather Reconssiance Squadron based out of Biloxi, MS measure hurricanes and tropical storm conditions throughout the tropical season to bring valuable information to forecasters on land about storm strength, wind speed and motion.

According to NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., “These new state-of-the-art aircraft will greatly enhance NOAA’s ability to gather data critical to hurricane research and forecasting, atmospheric river research and forecasting, climate studies, and other missions.”

Sensors on the new Gulfstream 550 include a tail-mounted Doppler Radar System and will be able to fly at an altitude 6,000 feet higher than their predecessor. Better measurement from these aircraft will help forecasters improve intensity and track forecasts as well as provide the public with longer forecast lead times ahead of the storm.