Senate Proposal: $2.5B Needed for Hurricane Hunter Upgrades

A bipartisan initiative in the Senate aims to allocate $2.5 billion to NOAA for the modernization and expansion of its aging fleet of Hurricane Hunters, which currently consists of three planes that venture into hurricanes and significant storm systems. This plan also proposes an annual addition of $45 million to recruit specialized pilots and enhance mission support. With NOAA’s two WP-3D Orion aircraft projected to retire by 2030, concerns about the accuracy of forecasts have been raised. Legislators are advocating for a minimum of six aircraft, potentially increasing to nine, to improve storm tracking in the future.