USAF Aerial Weather Reconnaissance Using Me Lockheed Wc-130 Aircraft
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Rodney S. Henderson 1 USAF Aerial weather Reconnaissance Byran, Tex. 77801 Using me Lockheed wc-130 Aircraft Abstract 1970s. At least five major organizational changes have occurred, ranging from the deactivation of a squadron Air Force weather reconnaissance forces fly a wide variety of missions for many different military and civilian agencies. of WB-57s to the establishment of an Air Force Reserve The workhorse of the weather reconnaissance fleet is the weather reconnaissance organization. Currently, opera- Lockheed WC-f30 "Hercules," operated by three weather tional aerial weather reconnaissance is performed by Mil- reconnaissance squadrons. A discussion of the organization itary Airlift Command (MAC) and U.S. Air Force Re- of Air Force weather reconnaissance forces is presented along with brief remarks concerning the aircraft and its meteorolog- serve (AFRES) units. ical instrumentation. The tropical cyclone reconnaissance, MAC weather reconnaissance forces are assigned to tactical support, and East Coast winter storms missions are the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service (ARRS) and discussed as being representative of typical weather recon- to the Air Weather Service (AWS). AFRES weather re- naissance operations. The effectiveness of Air Force weather connaissance forces are assigned to the Fourth Air Force reconnaissance is considered along with remarks concerning the accuracy of data acquired on typical operations. Efforts during peacetime and to MAC in time of war. Figure 1 to develop improved meteorological systems over nearly a illustrates Air Force weather reconnaissance organiza- decade have resulted in concept development for an Im- tion. proved Weather Reconnaissance System (IWRS), whose gen- Control of ARRS weather reconnaissance squadrons eral characteristics are briefly considered. is exercised by the 41st Rescue and Weather Recon- naissance Wing (41st RWRW) at McClellan AFB, Calif. 1. Introduction The 41st RWRW has two basic missions: combat rescue On 27 July 1943, Maj. Joe Duckworth flew a propeller- and aerial weather reconnaissance. Three squadrons pro- driven, single-engine North American AT-6 "Texan" vide the operational weather reconnaissance capability trainer into the center of a tropical cyclone and created within the 41st RWRW: the 54th WRS at Andersen a legacy shared by weather reconnaissance crews for three AFB, Guam, the 53rd WRS at Keesler AFB, Miss., and the and a half decades. Major Duckworth flew into the eye 55th WRS at McClellan AFB, Calif. The 54th WRS and of the storm twice that day, once with a navigator 53rd WRS operate Lockheed WC-130 aircraft on a and again with a weather officer. Duckworth's legacy has variety of missions. The 55th WRS operates Boeing developed into one of the U.S. Air Force's largest, con- WC-135B aircraft primarily on atmospheric sampling tinuing, humanitarian efforts—the tropical cyclone re- missions for various government agencies. connaissance mission of Air Force weather reconnais- In 1976, AFRES converted a tactical airlift group sance units. into a weather reconnaissance group at Keesler AFB and Today, three Air Force squadrons fly Lockheed WC- began to establish a weather reconnaissance organization. 130 aircraft on a wide variety of missions ranging from Reserve weather reconnaissance organization differs tropical cyclone reconnaissance to weather modification from the structure under ARRS because of the operations. Each squadron is supported by trained heavier training requirements levied on Reserve units weather personnel, in a special detachment or within the and the necessity of maintaining Reserve organizations squadron, who fly aboard the aircraft and provide the to provide services normally available from host air base meteorological expertise necessary to accomplish weather organizations or higher headquarters. reconnaissance operations in any part of the world. It Reserve weather reconnaissance organization under is hoped that this paper will serve as a brief but effective the Fourth Air Force begins with the 403rd RWRW at introduction to the small but very active world of Air Selfridge ANG Base, Mich. The 403rd is composed of Force weather reconnaissance. four rescue and recovery squadrons and one weather reconnaissance group, the 920th WRG, based at Keesler 2. Organizational structure AFB. The 920th WRG provides command and staff supervision to several subordinate units including the Air Force weather reconnaissance organizational struc- Reserve's only weather reconnaissance squadron, the ture has undergone some marked changes since the early 815th WRS, which is also located at Keesler AFB and operates WC-130H aircraft. i Captain, U.S. Air Force; presently assigned to Texas A&rM In April 1977, weather personnel were removed from University in a graduate meteorology program. the ARRS squadrons and placed in separate AWS de- 0003-0007/78/1136-4143$05.00 tachments at Keesler AFB and at Andersen AFB and in © 1978 American Meteorological Society an AWS operating location at McClellan AFB. The de- 1136 Vol. 59, No. 9, September 1978 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 09/25/21 08:15 AM UTC Bulletin American Meteorological Society 1137 FIG. 1. U.S. Air Force operational weather reconnaissance organization under the Military Airlift Command and U.S. Air Force Reserve. tachments are subordinate to AWS Headquarters, pro- monoplane with retractable tricycle landing gear. Allison vide weather personnel for operational missions, and T-56 turboprop engines drive four-bladed, full-feather- provide staff meteorological support to the active duty ing, reversible pitch propellers at almost 1000 rpm. The squadrons. The operating location was established at fuselage is divided into a cargo compartment and a flight McClellan AFB to provide support to the 41st RWRW deck by a bulkhead at the forward end of the cargo and, to a lesser degree, to provide weather personnel compartment. Flight deck crew positions are provided for 55th WRS operations. AWS also operates a network for a pilot (Aircraft Commander), copilot, flight engi- of weather monitors at selected worldwide detachments neer, navigator, and an Aerial Reconnaissance Weather that copy and relay weather reconnaissance observations. Officer (ARWO). A crew position for the Dropsonde System Operator (DSO) is located at a console in the cargo compartment near the right paratroop door. 3. Aircraft and instrumentation The WC-130s carry meteorological sensor systems for The guiding principle in operational Air Force weather measuring atmospheric parameters at the aircraft flight reconnaissance is the concept of placing a manned me- level and for taking soundings beneath the aircraft. teorological sensor platform in the atmosphere at the Systems used to collect data at flight level are referred time, place, and altitude requested by a "customer," to as the horizontal meteorological system (horizontal collecting data according to the customer's requirements, metsystem), and systems used to produce atmospheric and relaying those data to the customer in a usable, soundings are called the vertical meteorological system coded form. For over a decade, the workhorse meteoro- (vertical metsystem). Components of the horizontal met- logical sensor platform for Air Force weather reconnais- system are listed in Table 1 along with other aircraft sance units has been the Lockheed WC-130 "Hercules" systems used to produce data for meteorological ob- (Fig. 2). The WC-130E and WC-130H versions of the servations. Table 2 lists components of the vertical met- aircraft currently are in use, with a single WC-130B system. having been modified to carry an advanced metsystem— Additional equipment is available or can be installed the Airborne Weather Reconnaissance System. for specialized missions. Atmospheric Research Equip- The WC-130 is an all-metal, four-engine, high-wing ment (ARE) is installed on WC-130E aircraft and is used Unauthenticated | Downloaded 09/25/21 08:15 AM UTC 1138 Vol. 59, No. 9, September 1978 FIG. 2. The workhorse meteorological sensor platform for Air Force weather reconnaissance— the Lockheed WC-130 "Hercules." Photo is of the WC-130H used by the 920th Weather Re- connaissance Group at Keesler AFB, Miss. TABLE 1. Components of the WC-130 horizontal metsystem and other systems used in producing data for horizontal meteorological observations.* Parameter Sensed Subsystem Remarks Atmospheric pressure 1301A Pressure Transducer System In the process of being replaced by the Garrett Airesearch Digital Pressure Encoderf Pressure altitude AIMS counterdrum-pointer aneroid altimeter Provides secondary pressure altitude dataf (pilot's instrument panel) Atmospheric temperature Rosemount AN/AMQ-28 Total Temperature Requires true airspeed information obtainable from System an indicator on the navigator's panel for normal usej C-3 Outside Air Temperature System Provides a limited backup capability (navigator's panel) Atmospheric dew point Cambridge Systems AN/AMQ-34 Aircraft Hygrometer System Absolute altitude AN/APN-42A Radar Altimeter SCR-718 or AN/APN-133 Radio Altimeter Secondary absolute altimeters on WC-130E aircraft only; AN/APN-133 altimeters are currently programed for installation on WC-130H aircraft by 1979. AN/APN-150 Radar Altimeter (pilot's Currently used as the secondary absolute altimeter instrument panel) on WC-130H aircraft at low altitude only Sea surface temperature Barnes Engineering Co. PRT-5 Precision Radiation Thermometer Flight-level wind Doppler Navigation System, AN/APN-147/AN/ ASN-35 (navigator's panel)