Air Force Reserve Command aircrews with the 403rd Wing at Keesler AFB, Miss., took two WC-130J Hurricane Hunters to Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, Feb. 12, to support the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s 2007 Winter Storm Reconnaissance program over the Pacific Ocean. For the Pacific missions, the Hurricane Hunters do not fly into the eye of hurricanes; instead they fly ahead of an advancing storm bound for the continental US or Alaska. Flying at a higher altitude than their C-130E/H predecessors, the J models enable aircrews to gather more scientific data, which results in more accurate weather forecasts. Scientific instruments are dropped at specific points along a designated route, to gauge temperature, wind speed, humidity, and pressure.
Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, nominee to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Defense Department needs to upgrade its electronic warfare capability and its EW training ranges; just as his predecessor said at his own confirmation hearing.