NOAA deploys new black swift drone into Tropical Storm Tammy

Researchers pose with drone. Credit: NOAA

NOAA hurricane researchers successfully deployed a new uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) into Tropical Storm Tammy (2023) to measure parts of the storm too dangerous for humans to go. The Black Swift Technologies S0™ UAS was launched from the NOAA WP-3D Orion Hurricane Hunter aircraft by scientists from NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory during missions into the storm as it strengthened and headed closer to the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean.

NOAA researchers collaborated with Black Swift to develop an instrument capable of sustaining tropical cyclone conditions, the S0. This UAS can operate in low- and medium-altitude maritime environments conducting atmospheric profiles as low as 50 ft. and up to 15,000 ft. above sea level. At 2.6 lbs, this is the lightest UAS platform ever used to successfully sample a tropical cyclone. It features various payload instrumentation that are capable of measuring atmospheric pressure, temperature, moisture, and 3-dimensional wind profiles. These actions are controlled through onboard programming and/or by aircraft-based operators.