Biloxi Hurricane Hunters get new equipment for season beginning June 1

BILOXI, Miss. – Keesler Air Force Base's 10 WC-130J aircraft, known as the Hurricane Hunters, are being equipped with commercial Iridium satellite phone systems through Lockheed Martin.

Keesler chief meteorologist Lt. Col. Jon Talbot told The Sun Herald the new system will allow for direct communication with both the air traffic control and National Hurricane Center.

"The problem we were facing was when we'd do the hurricane flying, we're out there in the middle of the ocean in places we can't communicate with air traffic control guys and they can't talk to us.

"We tend to fly fairly low and a lot of times we're not in their radar coverage, so they can't see us and they can't talk to us because we're too low and all this stuff is line of sight," Talbot said.

Talbot said the Hurricane Hunters often need to clearance to venture into a specific region to ensure another aircraft isn't near, but can't because their communication has failed.

He said it's not uncommon for Hurricane Hunters to relay messages to control towers through other aircraft in the area.

"We would talk to a lot of the commercial airliners, or whoever is out there flying, and their pilots would relay the information. That's a normal thing that happens all the time. That's the way we typically had been doing it, but some places there is no one else out there flying or we're out there at 2 a.m.," Talbot said.

The new system will be a backup to the traditional radio communications, but it will ensure the line of communication isn't severed during a mission.

Talbot said Lockheed Martin equipped the first of 10 WC-130Js last fall and ran tests to assure the new system wouldn't interfere with existing equipment. He said Lockheed workers will arrive at Keesler in April to install the system on the remaining aircraft.

Hurricane season begins June 1.