Since 1944, the 
Defense Department’s only organization that provides aircraft and crews to fly into the eye of hurricanes and tropical storms is the Air Force Reserve Command’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, based at Keesler AFB, Miss. Their home base damaged heavily by Hurricane Katrina, the Hurricane Hunters are flying their specially equipped WC-130J aircraft out of Dobbins ARB, Ga., to scout out, at present, Hurricane Ophelia.
The Air Force’s propulsion directorate wants to rapidly develop and field new propulsion technologies in the coming years, and plans to use a new, $16 billion contract vehicle to do so, according to a March 13 notice.