2018 sUAS Operations into Tropical Cyclones

In 2018, NOAA plans to follow-up on the six (6) ground-breaking sUAS missions that were conducted in Hurricane Maria in September of 2017. Using NOAA's P-3 manned hurricane hunter for storm ingress, up to six (6) additional Coyote sUAS will be available for deployment during the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane season. Similar to flights conduced into Major Hurricane Maria, sUAS missions will target the high-wind eyewall region at extremely low altitudes (<100m). Preliminary results from these Coyote flights along with detailed analyses from the sUAS missions conducted in 2017 will be presented.