Uploaded October 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
On October 22, 2023, NOAA and private sector partners conducted the first collocated mission into a hurricane that included a low flying drone (Anduril Industries' Altius 600) and an ocean surface vehicle (Saildrone).
- The Altius 600 is an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) deployed from the NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft and capable of operating in low- and medium-altitude maritime environments. Typically flying below 5,000 ft, the Altius 600 collects data to better detect changes in the storm's overall structure.
- A saildrone is a solar-powered uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) that provides data at and below the ocean surface. This data is used to improve our understanding and prediction of tropical cyclone intensity changes.
Together, the saildrone and Altius 600 bridged the gap from satellites and aircraft to the sea surface. They allowed us to collect data we cannot get any other way, from the boundary layer where crewed planes and boats cannot go safely, advancing our understanding of hard to predict phenomena such as Rapid Intensification.
This historic collaboration required incredible coordination and signifies a giant leap forward in our mission to advance our knowledge of ocean-atmosphere interactions in tropical cyclones. We hope to continue making progress so this kind of data collection is routine in future hurricane seasons.
On October 22, 2023, NOAA and private sector partners conducted the first collocated mission into a hurricane that included a low flying drone (Anduril Industries' Altius 600) and an ocean surface vehicle (Saildrone).
- The Altius 600 is an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) deployed from the NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft and capable of operating in low- and medium-altitude maritime environments. Typically flying below 5,000 ft, the Altius 600 collects data to better detect changes in the storm's overall structure.
- A saildrone is a solar-powered uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) that provides data at and below the ocean surface. This data is used to improve our understanding and prediction of tropical cyclone intensity changes.
Together, the saildrone and Altius 600 bridged the gap from satellites and aircraft to the sea surface. They allowed us to collect data we cannot get any other way, from the boundary layer where crewed planes and boats cannot go safely, advancing our understanding of hard to predict phenomena such as Rapid Intensification.
This historic collaboration required incredible coordination and signifies a giant leap forward in our mission to advance our knowledge of ocean-atmosphere interactions in tropical cyclones. We hope to continue making progress so this kind of data collection is routine in future hurricane seasons.
