WC-130J Weatherbird
A Close Watch On the Weather
 The WC-130 Hercules is a high-wing, medium-range aircraft flown by the Air Force Reserve Command for weather reconnaissance missions. Able to stay aloft nearly 15 hours, the aircraft regularly performs 11-hour missions and covers almost 3,500 miles while the crew collects and reports weather data every minute. The WC-130H Hercules is a modified version of the C-130 transport configured with computerized weather instrumentation for penetration of severe storms to obtain data on storm movement, dimensions and intensity. The WC-130J has been operational how for several years, used to chase storms in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, The Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico.  The WC-130 is flown exclusively from Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., by the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, an AFRC organization known as the Hurricane Hunters.
The WC-130 provides vital tropical cyclone forecasting information. It penetrates tropical cyclones and hurricanes at altitudes ranging from 500 to 10,000 feet (151.7 to 3,033.3 meters) above the ocean’s surface depending on the intensity of the storm. The aircraft’s most important function is to collect high-density, high-accuracy weather data from within the storm’s environment. This includes penetration of the center or hurricane eye of the storm. This vital information is instantly relayed by satellite to the National Hurricane Center to aid in the accurate forecasting of hurricane movement and intensity.
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