The Lockheed WC-130 is a high-wing, medium-range
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...
used for
weather reconnaissance
Weather reconnaissance is the acquisition of weather data used for research and planning. Typically the term reconnaissance refers to observing weather from the air, as opposed to the ground.
Methods
Aircraft
Helicopters are not built to w ...
missions by the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
. The aircraft is a modified version of the
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 ...
transport configured with specialized weather instrumentation including a
dropsonde
A dropsonde is an expendable weather reconnaissance device created by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), designed to be dropped from an aircraft at altitude over water to measure (and therefore track) storm conditions as the devi ...
deployment/receiver system and crewed by a
meteorologist
A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while t ...
for penetration of
tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
s and winter storms to obtain data on movement, size and intensity.
The USAF's
Air Weather Service
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
(AWS) received its first C-130 Hercules in 1962 to conduct air sampling missions in the wake of a resumption of atmospheric weapons testing by the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
in September 1961. The Air Force was then in the process of replacing its fleet of
WB-50 weather reconnaissance aircraft with
WB-47E jets but by 1965 the AWS had decided it would better served by the WC-130 in the manned weather reconnaissance role. Since that year the Air Force and
Air Force Reserve
The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...
have operated a total of 50 WC-130s in five variants. The WC-130J Weatherbird is the current weather data collection platform for the
53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, also known by its nickname, Hurricane Hunters, is a flying unit of the United States Air Force, and "the only Department of Defense organization still flying into tropical storms and hurricanes." Aligne ...
.
Only
one WC-130 has been lost during operational missions, H-model 65-0965, on 12 October 1974, flying in
Typhoon Bess northeast of The Philippines. A former weather recon aircraft, H-model 65-0968, was lost on 2 May 2018 while serving with the Puerto Rico Air National Guard on its final ferry flight to retirement. Two WC-130B models were lost to crashes after being sold to international customers, and another operational WC-130B aircraft was destroyed on the ground by a hurricane.
Development
In 1954 the Air Weather Service (AWS) replaced its
WB-29 Superfortresses as its primary weather reconnaissance platform with a fleet of WB-50Ds deployed in seven squadrons. Between 1956 and 1960 six WB-50 accidents resulted in the loss of an entire crew and caused the deaths of 66 crew members;
metal fatigue
In materials science, fatigue is the initiation and propagation of cracks in a material due to cyclic loading. Once a fatigue crack has initiated, it grows a small amount with each loading cycle, typically producing striations on some parts o ...
and other structural problems with the type was to end its service by 1965. The C-130 Hercules was desired by the AWS as the best alternative but budgetary limitations prevented the procurement of new aircraft for the mission.
Headquarters Air Force had always considered aerial weather reconnaissance an expendable luxury when budget cuts were necessary or when funds were needed for expensive programs. In 1958 its desire to field a large
ICBM
An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons c ...
deterrent force resulted in the shutdown of two AWS squadrons, followed by three more in March 1960. The problems with the WB-50, brought to a head in May 1960 by fuel leaks that grounded the entire 66-plane fleet, accelerated the process, which scheduled a complete phaseout by 1963. AWS fought against the decision, however, and the proposed permanent shutdown of AWS's flying mission alarmed high-level operational commanders worldwide, including the admiral commanding the
United States Pacific Command
United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) is a unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the Indo-Pacific region.
Formerly known as United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) since its inception in 1947, t ...
. The commander of the
Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...
, General
Thomas S. Power
General Thomas Sarsfield Power (June 18, 1905 – December 6, 1970) was a United States Air Force officer who served as commander in chief of the Strategic Air Command. He was an active military flier for more than 30 years.
Early career
Thomas ...
, recommended that the WB-50s be replaced by B-47s that were being phased out by SAC,
and when Gen.
Curtis E. LeMay
Curtis Emerson LeMay (November 15, 1906 – October 1, 1990) was an American Air Force general who implemented a controversial strategic bombing campaign in the Pacific theater of World War II. He later served as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air F ...
gave his support for the proposal, modification of 34 WB-47Es in 1963 for the AWS was approved and the re-activation of three discontinued weather recon squadrons scheduled for 1962.
[Fuller (1990), pp. 234–235]
In the meantime a bilateral moratorium with the Soviet Union on the atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons was starting its third year when a suggestion was made that the classified air sampling program monitoring the moratorium and being conducted by at least five USAF commands
[The five commands were SAC, ]Pacific Air Forces
Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (fo ...
, Air Defense Command
Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was est ...
, Air Research and Development Command
The Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command. It was established in April 1951, being split off from Air Materiel Command. The mission of AFSC was Research and Development for new weapons systems.
Ove ...
, and Military Air Transport Service
The Military Air Transport Service (MATS) is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy's Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) and the United States Air Force's ...
. be consolidated under a single manager and agency. AWS lobbied for the mission and submitted a plan in February 1961 naming itself the single manager. LeMay, now
Air Force Chief of Staff
The chief of staff of the Air Force (acronym: CSAF, or AF/CC) is a statutory office () held by a general in the United States Air Force, and as such is the principal military advisor to the secretary of the Air Force on matter pertaining to th ...
, approved the plan on 31 August 1961; the next day the Soviet Union resumed nuclear testing. Headquarters Air Force authorized the acquisition of five new C-130Bs factory-configured for the sampling mission to be delivered in April 1962 when AWS would become the air sampling single-manager. These became the first weather-mission C-130 aircraft.
After the five C-130Bs became operational with AWS, conversions of six C-130Es followed in 1965 but as weather platforms. A dropsonde system was installed in all the C-130Bs and the designation of all C-130 weather variants was permanently changed to "WC-130" on 25 August 1965. Three WC-130As were created in Southeast Asia in 1967 and 11 more WC-130Bs were added in 1970 to replace the WB-47s, which had been abruptly retired from service in September 1969.
[The WB-47s had never been popular in their weather reconnaissance role, primarily because their Bendix-Friez data processing and communications system had not been fully tested and rarely worked, and were far from optimal since they were forbidden for structural reasons from penetrating tropical cyclones. General John D. Ryan, a career SAC officer and PACAF commander in 1967, was highly critical of the WB-47s and demanded they be retired. He backed down when confronted with their necessity as "weather scouts" for his '']Operation Arc Light
During Operation Arc Light (sometimes Arclight) from 1965 to 1973, the United States Air Force deployed B-52 Stratofortresses from bases in the U.S. Territory of Guam to provide battlefield air interdiction during the Vietnam War. This included ...
'' missions in Vietnam, but one of his first actions when he was appointed Air Force Chief of Staff in August 1969 was to order their immediate retirement. (Fuller 359) The first of 15 WC-130Hs was converted in 1973 from rescue command and control aircraft (that had themselves been modified from C-130Es). Service life of some of these variants over-lapped as they operated with the 53rd,
54th,
55th and
56th Weather Reconnaissance Squadrons. The -E and -H models have had the greatest longevity in service, 28 and 32 years respectively. Of the seven original weather reconnaissance squadrons, four of which received the WC-130 at some point, only the 53d WRS remains active, now assigned to the
Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commiss ...
(AFRC).
The WC-130J model, introduced in 1999, is currently the weather reconnaissance platform for the 53rd WRS, part of the
403rd Wing
The 403rd Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command. It is located at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi and employs a military manning authorization of more than 1,400 reservists, including some 250 ...
of the
Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commiss ...
at
Keesler AFB
Keesler Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Biloxi, Mississippi, Biloxi, a city along the Gulf Coast in Harrison County, Mississippi, Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. The base is named in honor of aviator 2nd ...
, Mississippi. Many of the WC-130s replaced in the weather reconnaissance mission were subsequently redistributed after de-modification to other AFRC and
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...
wings for use again in their original tactical airlift role or as training aircraft, while others were sold to foreign air forces.
Mission
The WC-130 provides vital tropical cyclone forecasting information and is the primary weather data collector for the
National Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 3 ...
, supplemented by the
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...
's
WP-3D Orion
The Lockheed WP-3D Orion is a highly modified P-3 Orion used by the Aircraft Operations Center division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Only two of these aircraft exist, each incorporating numerous features for t ...
. They penetrate tropical cyclones and hurricanes at altitudes ranging from above the ocean surface depending upon the intensity of the storm. The most important function of these reconnaissance aircraft is to collect high-density, high-accuracy weather data from within the storm's environment. This includes penetration of the center or hurricane eye of the storm. This vital information is instantly relayed by satellite to the National Hurricane Center to aid in the accurate forecasting of hurricane movement and intensity.
Variants and operational history
The Lockheed C-130 has been operated as a Weather Reconnaissance aircraft in the following sub-types:
WC-130B (1962–1973)
Five new C-130Bs
[The first group of B-models were AF serial numbers 62-3492 through -3496.] factory-configured for air sampling were delivered to the
55th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron at
McClellan Air Force Base
McClellan Air Force Base (1935–2001) is a former United States Air Force base located in the North Highlands area of Sacramento County, northeast of Sacramento, California.
History
For the vast majority of its operational lifetime, McClella ...
, California, in 1962. After operational testing and evaluation, three were distributed to the 54th, 56th, and 57th WRS and the 55th deployed one of its remaining two to
Eielson Air Force Base
Eielson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately 26 miles (42 km) southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska and just southeast of Moose Creek, Alaska. It was established in 1943 as Mile 26 Satellite Field and redes ...
, Alaska. In 1965 all had
dropsonde
A dropsonde is an expendable weather reconnaissance device created by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), designed to be dropped from an aircraft at altitude over water to measure (and therefore track) storm conditions as the devi ...
systems
[The system then in use consisted of the AN/AMR-1 Radiosonde Receptor manufactured by Landers, Frary and Clark, and the Bendix AN/AMT-6 dropsonde.] installed at the
Warner Robins Air Materiel Area
The Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex (WR-ALC), through about 7,000 employees at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, provides depot maintenance, engineering support and software development to major weapon systems -15, C-5, C-130, C-17 and Special ...
(WRAMA) and were transferred to the 53rd WRS at
Ramey Air Force Base
Ramey Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. It was named after United States Army Air Forces Brigadier General Howard Knox Ramey. Following its closure, it was redeveloped into Rafael Hernandez Airpo ...
, Puerto Rico, for use in the Hurricane Hunter mission. The first of thousands of such missions for the just-designated WC-130 was flown on 27 August 1965 into the eye of
Hurricane Betsy
Hurricane Betsy was an intense and destructive tropical cyclone that brought widespread damage to areas of Florida and the central United States Gulf Coast in September 1965. The storm's erratic nature, coupled with its intensity and minim ...
, the most destructive hurricane in recorded history to that time.
In the aftermath of
Hurricane Camille
Hurricane Camille was the second most intense tropical cyclone on record to strike the United States, behind the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. The most intense storm of the 1969 Atlantic hurricane season, Camille originated as a tropical depression ...
in August 1969 and the simultaneous shutdown of the WB-47 program, funds were appropriated to fund Project ''Seek Cloud'', an upgrade of tropical storm reconnaissance capability by an increase in C-130 platforms and an upgrade in meteorological equipment. 12 additional C-130B transports
[The second batch of veteran C-130Bs acquired were s/n's 58-0725, -0726, -0729, 0-731, -0733, -0734, -0740, -0741, -0742, -0747, -0752, and -0758.] were obtained from
Pacific Air Forces
Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (fo ...
and modified in 1970–1971 with the new equipment suite.
[The ''Seek Cloud'' suite consisted of an AN/APN-42 Radar Altimeter, AN/AMQ-28 Rosemount Total Temperature System, and AN/AMQ-19 Dropsonde receiver and control panel previously mounted in retired WB-47s; an AN/AMQ-29 Dropsonde Data Recording System; a Hewlett-Packard 9100B Desktop Programmable Calculator; an AN/AMQ-34 Cambridge Optical Dewpoint Hygrometer; a Barnes Engineering PRT-5 Infrared Sea-Surface Temperature System; three strip chart recorders (for recording wind speed and direction data, ambient dew point, sea-surface temperature, pressure altitude and radar altitude); and a AN/AMQ-31 Dropsonde Dispenser and AN/AMT-13 Radiosonde. All but the dropsonde dispenser were installed with their controllers in a new console on the flight deck.] One was soon transferred to the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...
(NOAA)
[58-0731 was re-numbered with civil registration N8037 and nicknamed ''NOAA's Ark''. It served as a hurricane research aircraft from 1970 to 1981.] but the other 11 went into military service, three to the 54th to replace the WC-130As and the rest to the 53rd, which had transferred four of its five original B-models to other squadrons after receiving ''Seek Cloud'' retrofits. Efforts to develop forward-looking and side-looking weather radars were unsuccessful. The second batch of C-130Bs were in service only a few years before all were de-modified and turned over to the reserve forces.
The WC-130Bs were powered by four
Allison T56-A-7A turboprop
A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller.
A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. Fuel ...
engines rated at 4,050 horsepower, had a cruising speed of 350 KTAS, a radius of action of 1,200 miles with a payload of 25,000 lb, and a service ceiling of 30,000 feet.
WC-130E (1965–1993)
In 1965 the Air Force procured six E-model variants to replace six
WB-47Es in the
54th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
54 may refer to:
* 54 (number)
* one of the years 54 BC, AD 54, 1954, 2054
* ''54'' (novel), a 2002 novel by Wu Ming
* Studio 54, a New York City nightclub from 1977 until 1981
* ''54'' (film), a 1998 American drama film about the club
* ''54'' ...
at
Anderson Air Force Base
Andersen Air Force Base (Andersen AFB, AAFB) is a United States Air Force base located primarily within the village of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam. The host unit at Andersen AFB is the 36th Wing (36 WG), assigned to the Pacific ...
,
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
. Three veteran airlifters were transferred from the
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...
(TAC) and three obtained new.
[The six E-models were serial numbers 61-2360, 61-2365, 61-2366 and 64-0552 through -0554.] All were modified with the AMT-1 dropsonde system and assigned to the 54th WRS, where they remained until 1972. From then to 1987, when they were assigned permanently to the 53d WRS, the E-models were assigned to the operational demands of all the operational weather reconnaissance squadrons. In 1989 they were upgraded with the Improved Weather Reconnaissance System ("I-Wars") utilizing the
Omega Navigation System
OMEGA was the first global-range radio navigation system, operated by the United States in cooperation with six partner nations. It was a hyperbolic navigation system, enabling ships and aircraft to determine their position by receiving very low ...
["I-Wars" consists of three semi-independent sub-systems: the Atmospheric Distributed Data System (ADDS) which records and computes flight level meteorological data from various angle-of-attack probes, the radar altimeter, the pressure altimeter, ambient temperature and dewpoint sensors, and navigation data; the Dropsonde Windfinding System (DWS) which processes temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction data received from a dropsonde; and the Satellite Communication system (SATCOM). The ADDS generates measurements in the horizontal aspect ("horizontal data"), the DWS in the vertical ("vertical data"), and the SATCOM provides immediate direct transfer of the data to the user.] previously installed in WC-130H model and remained in regular operational service until retired in 1993.
WC-130A (1967–1970)
Three C-130A transports
[The three A-models were serial numbers 56-519, 56-522 and 56-537] were obtained from TAC in 1966 during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
to conduct
Operation Popeye
Operation Sober Popeye (Project Controlled Weather Popeye / Motorpool / Intermediary-Compatriot) was a military cloud-seeding project carried out by the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War in 1967–1972. The highly classified program attempted ...
, a rain-making operation in Southeast Asia. In early 1967 they were modified for an additional weather reconnaissance mission by installation of the AMT-1 dropsonde system. Two were based for the dual missions on a rotational basis at
Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base
Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base (Udorn RTAFB) is a Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) base, the home of 23rd Wing Air Command. It is in the city of Udon Thani in northeastern Thailand and is the main airport serving the city and province.
The RTAF 23 ...
,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
, with a third at Anderson AFB for maintenance and crew changes. Missions were flown by crews of the 54th WRS and included
synoptic weather reconnaissance to all areas of SEA. All three reverted to C-130A standard in 1971 after their replacement by upgraded models.
[56-519 was given to the South Vietnamese air force and was captured at ]Tan Son Nhut Air Base
Tan Son Nhut Air Base ( vi, Căn cứ không quân Tân Sơn Nhứt) (1955–1975) was a Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) facility. It was located near the city of Saigon in southern Vietnam. The United States used it as a major base durin ...
by the North Vietnamese Army in 1975.
WC-130H (1973–2005)
![Lockheed WC-130H Hercules (L-382), USA - Air Force AN1263353](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Lockheed_WC-130H_Hercules_%28L-382%29%2C_USA_-_Air_Force_AN1263353.jpg)
With the drawdown of U.S. participation in the war in Southeast Asia, a number of extended-range
HC-130H CROWN airborne controllers assigned to the
Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service (a sister agency of the Air Weather Service in the
Military Airlift Command
The Military Airlift Command (MAC) is an inactive United States Air Force major command (MAJCOM) that was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Established on 1 January 1966, MAC was the primary strategic airlift organization of the ...
) became excess because of budgetary reductions. With Hurricane Camille still fresh in the minds of Congress and the American public and retention of the AWS flying mission still strong in MAC Headquarters, AWS proposed to Headquarters Air Force in March 1972 that its 16 WC-130Bs be replaced by a like number of the available HC-130Hs. The request was approved in December 1972 but altered a month later. AWS was ordered to retain three of the Bs and could give up the other 13 in return for 11 HC-130Hs. $4.5 million was budgeted for WRAMA to transfer the ''Seek Cloud'' equipment from the Bs to the newer Hs, and the changeover occurred between June 1973 and July 1974.
[Fuller (1990), p. 357] Four additional HC-130Hs were converted in 1975.
A total of 15 HC-130H rescue Hercules were eventually modified with ''Seek Cloud'' equipment and designated WC-130H,
[These were all built as standard C-130E transports and reconfigured as HC-130H. Their serial numbers were 64-14861 and -14866; and 65-0963 through -0969, and -0972, -0976, -0977, -0980, -0984, and -0985.] replacing all 16 WC-130Bs in the weather reconnaissance squadrons. The WC-130H was equipped with the more powerful
Allison T56-A-15 turboprop engines rated at 4,910 horsepower and had wing-mounted fuel tanks that provided an additional 2,720 gallons (10,300 L) of fuel, extending the WC-130H's radius of action at maximum cruise speed (230 KIAS, 350 KTAS) to 2,250 nautical miles.
A contract was awarded
Tracor Aerospace on 29 September 1987 to build and install 20 IWRS suites but two days later the 54th WRS was inactivated,
[Manned weather reconnaissance for the second time faced a campaign to put it out of business to gain its funding, this time from supporters of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) and its ]TIROS
TIROS, or Television InfraRed Observation Satellite, is a series of early weather satellites launched by the United States, beginning with TIROS-1 in 1960. TIROS was the first satellite that was capable of remote sensing of the Earth, enablin ...
weather satellites at Headquarters AF and in the AWS. A "selective" tropical storm reconnaissance program was instituted in the Western Pacific in 1971 after TIROS was introduced, reducing the number of sorties flown and their associated costs, while the U.S. Navy had withdrawn from the manned weather reconnaissance business entirely in 1975. As a consequence, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center
The Joint typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force command in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The JTWC is responsible for the issuing of tropical cyclone warnings in the North-West Pacific Ocean, South P ...
had incrementally reduced its reliance on WC-130 data until by 1986, although unquestionably more reliable than that from the satellites, it nevertheless made up less than 10% of the data used by JTWC to plot typhoons. The 53d WRS at Keesler was also a target, but it still had strong "pork barrel
''Pork barrel'', or simply ''pork'', is a metaphor for the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative's district.
The usage originated in American English, and i ...
" support in Congress for its continuation that the Guam-based unit did not have. (Fuller 363–364, 370) leaving only ten WC-130s in service, seven with the 53d WRS and three in the Air Force Reserve.
Even so, the IWRS system went operational in the WC-130H in 1988 and remains standard equipment.
[In 1998 the original Omega Navigation Equipment for the DWS was replaced by the GPS-based Airborne Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS).]
Manned weather reconnaissance continued to be reduced when AWS finally divested itself of its flying mission in 1991 by inactivating the 53d WRS and transferring both the mission and its few remaining aircraft assets to the
Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commiss ...
(AFRC). But the devastation wrought by
Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew was a very powerful and destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that struck the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana in August 1992. It is the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida in terms of structures damaged ...
in 1992 again demonstrated the need for "hurricane hunting" and state-of-the-art equipment to accomplish it, and the 53d was resurrected as a full-time unit of AFRC in 1993. The WC-130s were transferred back to it but the H-models were showing their age and between 1999 and 2005 all were replaced by the new, technologically-advanced J-variant.
WC-130J (1999–present)
![Lockheed Martin WC-130J](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Lockheed_Martin_WC-130J.jpg)
The WC-130J was the first variant obtained new from the factory since 1965. Ten were procured
[AF s/n 96-5300 through −5302, 97–5303 through −5306, 98–5307 and −5308, and 99-5309.] and assigned to the 53d WRS, now the only manned weather reconnaissance unit in the Department of Defense. The new model encountered teething problems
[These were primarily damage to its ]composite material
A composite material (also called a composition material or shortened to composite, which is the common name) is a material which is produced from two or more constituent materials. These constituent materials have notably dissimilar chemical or ...
6-bladed propellers from hail and ice and a lack of sensitivity in its color radar images. that delayed its Initial Operational Capability until just before the
2005 Atlantic hurricane season
The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active Atlantic hurricane season in history, until the record was broken 15 years later in 2020. The season broke numerous records at the time, with 28 tropical or subtropical storms recorded. ...
. Conversion of the
Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules
The Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. The C-130J is a comprehensive update of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck, and other systems.
The C-130J is the newest v ...
greatly enhanced the capability and safety of the WC-130 in its penetration of tropical cyclones on critical "fix" missions.
The WC-130J carries a minimum crew of five: pilot/aircraft commander, co-pilot,
combat systems officer, aerial reconnaissance weather officer and weather reconnaissance loadmaster. The 53d WRS maintains twenty air crews (ten full-time and ten part-time) to meet its capabilities obligations in support of requirements for the National Hurricane Operations Plan of five sorties per day from Keesler AFB and two from deployed locations. Weather data instrumentation and the dropsonde delivery and recording systems are mounted in the aircraft on removable pallets at the front end of the cargo compartment,
[The ARWO station is mounted on the port side facing aft and the dropsonde operator's position on the starboard facing forward.] giving the aircraft a standard cargo mission capability also.
The aircraft is not equipped for
aerial refueling
Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft a ...
, but with wing-mounted auxiliary fuel tanks is capable of staying aloft almost 18 hours at an optimum cruise speed of more than . An average weather reconnaissance mission lasts 11 hours and covers almost . The crew collects and reports weather data as often as every minute.
The Aerial Reconnaissance Weather Officer operates the computerized weather reconnaissance equipment, generates the "horizontal data" measurements (also known as "Recco"), and acts as flight director inside the storm environment. The weather officer also evaluates other meteorological conditions such as turbulence, icing, visibility, cloud types and amounts, and ocean surface winds. The ARWO uses the equipment to determine the storm's center and analyze atmospheric conditions such as pressure, temperature, dew point and wind speed to create a Vortex Data Message sent to the National Hurricane Center.
A critical piece of weather equipment on board the WC-130J is the GPS Dropsonde Windfinding System, a cylindrically-shaped instrument about long and in diameter and weighing approximately . The dropsonde is equipped with a high frequency radio and other sensing devices and is released from the aircraft over water. As the instrument descends to the sea surface, it measures and relays to the aircraft a vertical atmospheric profile of the temperature, humidity and barometric pressure and wind data. The dropsonde is slowed and stabilized by a small parachute. Through use of the Advanced Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS),
[AVAPS is a self-contained system installed in two standard 19-inch racks that records current atmospheric conditions vertically below the WC-130J aircraft as a deployed sonde falls to the surface. AVAPS consists of expendable sondes, a Dropsonde Telemetry Chassis, high power computer, and a color monitor.] the Dropsonde System Operator generates the "vertical data" (also referred to as "Drops") needed by the NHC, receiving, analyzing and encoding the data for transmission by satellite.
Between May 2007 and February 2008, all ten WC-130J were equipped with the Stepped-Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR or "Smurf"), which continuously measures the surface winds and rainfall rates below the aircraft, mounted in a radome on the right wing outboard of the number four engine.
The WC-130J provides data vital to tropical cyclone forecasting. The WC-130J usually penetrates hurricanes at an altitude of approximately to collect meteorological data in the vortex, or eye, of the storm. The aircraft normally flies a radius of about from the vortex to collect detailed data about the structure of the tropical cyclone.
The information collected makes possible advance warning of hurricanes and increases the accuracy of hurricane predictions and warnings by as much as 30%. Collected data are relayed directly to the
National Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 3 ...
, in Miami, Fla., a Department of Commerce weather agency that tracks hurricanes and provides warning service in the Atlantic area.
Accidents and incidents
*
Swan 38
In 1974, a newly converted Lockheed WC-130, Lockheed WC-130H (Air Force serial number 65-0965) was transferred to the 54th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, the "Typhoon Chasers", at Andersen Air Force Base on Guam. The aircraft, using the call si ...
– On 12 October 1974, a newly modified WC-130H (65-0965)
assigned to the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
's
54th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
54 may refer to:
* 54 (number)
* one of the years 54 BC, AD 54, 1954, 2054
* ''54'' (novel), a 2002 novel by Wu Ming
* Studio 54, a New York City nightclub from 1977 until 1981
* ''54'' (film), a 1998 American drama film about the club
* ''54'' ...
and its six crew disappeared during
Typhoon Bess. No trace of the aircraft or its crew has ever been found.
Specifications (WC-130J Weatherbird)
See also
References
;Footnotes
;Citations
;Sources
*
Hurricane Hunter Weather Equipment Air Force fact sheet, Inside 403rd Wing, retrieved 2015-10-12
External links
an unofficial history of the WC-130
''Tech Report: Dropsonde'' official USAF technology news video published June 24, 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-12
{{USAF transports
C-130, W
C-130, W
1960s United States military utility aircraft
Four-engined tractor aircraft
High-wing aircraft
Four-engined turboprop aircraft
Meteorological instrumentation and equipment
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
WC-130
The Lockheed WC-130 is a high-wing, medium-range aircraft used for weather reconnaissance missions by the United States Air Force. The aircraft is a modified version of the C-130 Hercules transport configured with specialized weather instrumenta ...