Air Force Reserve Command’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron’s Hurricane Hunters tracked a tropical disturbance off the coast of Georgia May 9, although the 2007 hurricane season doesn’t “officially” start until June 1. The hunters used the latest WC-130J Hercules with a Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer to measure wind speed and rainfall at sea level, which provides “more precise forecasting of the severity and direction of storms, states a Lockheed Martin release. Lockheed is in the process of installing the SFMR on all 10 of the squadron’s J models. The unit expects to have another SFMR-equipped Herk by the end of June, followed by one per month.
Members of the Air Force Reserve’s 920th Rescue Wing helped save 11 airplane crash survivors off the coast of Florida on May 12. The Reserve Airmen were flying an HC-130J Combat King II and an HH-60W Jolly Green II on a routine training flight when a Coast Guard call diverted…