Developing, testing, and transitioning small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (sUAS) to routinely sample the hurricane boundary layer

Since 2009, NOAA has used an air-launched, small uncrewed aircraft system (sUAS) designed to sample the highly turbulent boundary layer environment of tropical cyclones (TCs). Since 2014, ten (10) sUAS have been successfully deployed into four (4) Major Hurricanes including Edouard (2014), Maria (2017), Michael (2018) and Ian (2022). Since that time, promising results from these early missions have been well-documented and appeared in multiple peer-review articles. Since 2018, NOAA has invested resources in two new sUAS platforms that have specifically been designed to operate within the low level, high wind region of hurricanes. The platforms currently in testing include Black Swift Technologies’ S0 and Area-I’s Altius 600. In 2023, both aircraft are expected to collect valuable TC oceanic and atmospheric boundary layer observations beyond visual line of sight. Each system has the potential to significantly improve NOAA’s existing observing capabilities within the harshest conditions of the storm. Going forward, the expectation is that one or more of these sUAS will be able to conduct routine operations in direct support of NOAA’s hurricane surveillance and monitoring requirements. It is believed that this transformative, AI-capable observing technology will successfully leverage NOAA’s existing TC sampling capabilities and advance the Agency’s ability to better monitor and more accurately predict the intensity of these dangerous, often life-threatening storms. An overview of the two NOAA systems along with recent results will be presented.