News & Announcements
NOAA deploys new Altius drone into the eye of Hurricane Ian
On September 28, 2022, the crew of a NOAA WP-3D Orion hurricane hunter aircraft launched a 27-pound uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) into Hurricane Ian. The drone, an Area-I Altius-600, completed a two-hour mission. This was the first time an Altius-600 had been deployed into a hurricane.
NOAA and Saildrone launch seven hurricane-tracking surface drones
Five saildrones supported by NOAA's Uncrewed Systems Operations Center and NOAA's Weather Program Office will operate in the western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea in areas frequented by tropical storms and hurricanes. Learn more in this NOAA Research article.
NOAA partners with University of Southern Mississippi on uncrewed systems
NOAA and the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) signed a 10-year agreement on Feb. 4, 2021 to partner on ways to improve how uncrewed systems (UxS) are used to collect important ocean observation data and augment NOAA’s operational capabilities. The agreement provides a framework for collaborating with NOAA scientists and UxS operators on projects to further UxS research, development and operations. UxS are sensor-equipped vehicles that operate autonomously or are remotely piloted.
NOAA partners with Scripps Institution of Oceanography on unmanned systems
NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego are partnering to improve how unmanned systems (UxS) are used to collect important ocean observations and augment NOAA’s operational capabilities. This 10-year agreement provides a framework for Scripps and OMAO’s new Unmanned Systems Operations Program to collaborate on specific projects to further UxS research, development, and operations.