GPS World, February 2016
WATCH MARKET UAV 2 Category 3 storm at controlled altitudes as low as 400 feet Scientists on board the P 3 received meteorological data in both the eye of the storm and the eye wall However the P 3 had to fly 5 to 7 miles from the Coyote to pick up its signal So engineers at Raytheon and the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center upgraded Coyotes sensor systems and improved its communications package to allow it to talk to the plane over longer distances Now Coyote can fly for 50 miles away from the launch aircraft which will be free to continue its own mission Coyote also was outfitted with an upgraded instrument package that includes an infrared sensor to measure sea surface temperature which will help scientists understand how a hurricane extracts energy from the ocean and how it might intensify or change The team also is working toward optimizing battery life The test flight verified the Coyotes ability to transmit the data collected from its instrument package to operators aboard the P 3 as well as at the NHC where personnel monitor storms and develop forecasts Drew Osbrink and Eric Redweik of Sensintel and NOAA hurricane researcher Joe Cione monitor data from the Coyote as it flies into Hurricane Edouard in 2014 Photo NOAA FEBRUARY 2016 WWW GPSWORLD COM GPS WORLD 45
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