NOAA to Expand Fleet with New Gulfstream G550 Aircraft by 2028

NOAA has announced this week a significant expansion of its fleet with the procurement of a fully modified Gulfstream G550 aircraft, specially tailored to bolster hurricane and tropical storm forecasts, atmospheric research, and other critical NOAA missions. The $106 million contract option with Georgia-based Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation is funded in part by the Inflation Reduction Act, as part of President Biden’s ambitious Investing in America agenda.

Scheduled to join NOAA’s operational lineup in 2028, this state-of-the-art, fully instrumented aircraft marks NOAA’s second G550 acquisition. The first, slated for delivery in spring 2025, will replace NOAA’s aging Gulfstream IV-SP, a stalwart of the NOAA Hurricane Hunter fleet since 1996.

NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., emphasized the transformative impact of these aircraft, stating, “These new state-of-the-art aircraft will greatly enhance NOAA’s ability to gather critical data for hurricane research, atmospheric river studies, climate research, and other essential missions. Infrastructure investments like this protect both lives and livelihoods.”

Both G550s will be equipped with advanced sensor arrays, including a tail-mounted Doppler radar system, capable of gathering detailed atmospheric data. With a range exceeding 4,000 nautical miles and a maximum altitude of 51,000 feet, these aircraft will provide vital insights into atmospheric conditions during hurricanes and tropical cyclones, enhancing forecast accuracy.

The addition of these aircraft aligns with NOAA’s strategic goals under the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017, bolstering capabilities for hurricane reconnaissance and advancing NOAA’s mission-critical objectives.

Operating from NOAA’s Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland, Florida, alongside other specialized environmental data-gathering aircraft, the G550s will play a pivotal role in NOAA’s ongoing commitment to providing life-saving information to forecasters, researchers, and decision-makers.

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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, noaa.gov