Air Force Featured Stories

  • Hurricane Hunters fly last mission into Ian

    The unit flew weather reconnaissance missions around the clock for more than a week into Hurricane Ian to gather vital weather data for National Hurricane Center forecasts.

  • Hurricane Hunters wrap up 2021 season; brace for winter ops

    Nov. 30 marked the end of the Atlantic and Pacific hurricane seasons and for the second year in a row, the Atlantic tropical basin produced a full list of named storms. Eight of those storms made landfall in the U.S. with two making landfall as hurricanes, one of those being a major hurricane in

  • Hurricane Hunters testing new SATCOM capabilities

    The aerial reconnaissance weather officer sits adjacent, quality checking the figures from the dropsonde, as it plummets to the ocean’s surface, and from the stepped frequency microwave radiometer attached to the wing of the aircraft.

  • Hurricane Hunters wrap up Elsa recon ahead of landfall

    The Air Force Reserve’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Hurricane Hunters wrapped up their aerial reconnaissance efforts for Tropical Storm Elsa, July 7, after the storm made landfall on the northwest coast of Florida.

  • Hurricane Hunters upgrade ARWO software

    The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron “Hurricane Hunters” aerial reconnaissance weather officer and loadmaster/dropsonde operator stations are being upgraded with hardware and software to increase their weather collecting capabilities.

  • 403rd Wing weathers record storm season

    A historical hurricane season means a packed schedule for the Air Force Reserve’s 403rd Wing and their 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron “Hurricane Hunters.” Throw in a pandemic and four evacuations and this season was one of the busiest for the Reserve Airmen.

  • Hurricane Hunters track Sally

    The Hurricane Hunters fly through tropical systems to gather weather data that they provide to the National Hurricane Center for their use in updating the storm forecast warnings.

  • Hurricane Hunters fly first Pacific hurricane

    The Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircrew flew into the first hurricane of the Pacific Ocean season to collect weather data to assist the Central Pacific Hurricane Center with their forecasts.

  • Hurricane Hunters fly first mission of 2020 Atlantic season

    The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, the only Department of Defense organization that flies weather reconnaissance, is expected to fly into Invest 90L throughout the weekend to provide weather data by satellite communication to the National Hurricane Center in Miami to improve their computer

  • Hurricane Hunters fly winter storm

    A WC-130J Super Hercules aircraft departed Keesler Air Force Base midday to fly the western Atlantic flight track, off the Northeast coast.