News Search

  • Reservist chased a dream; now chases hurricanes

    Nearly three decades after the fact, U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Amaryllis Cotto can still vividly remember Hurricane Andrew. The shrill screech of a woman screaming for her life outside.Windows breaking.Walls vibrating.Running across the street to seek shelter with neighbors as her own family’s house

  • Hurricane Hunters fly first missions of winter season

    The Air Force Reserve’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron “Hurricane Hunters” at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., flew a system from its time as a swath of water vapor moving over the Pacific Ocean to the wintry conditions it delivered across the United States, marking the unit’s first atmospheric

  • Hurricane Hunters wrap up 2021 season; brace for winter ops

    After a historically busy Atlantic hurricane season in 2020, the Air Force Reserve’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Hurricane Hunters at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., were gifted a relative reprieve, though still an above average hurricane season this year.Today marked the end of the Atlantic

  • Hurricane Hunters testing new SATCOM capabilities

    For the Air Force Reserve's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Hurricane Hunters, the ability to transmit data in flight is tantamount to mission success.As one of their WC-130J Super Hercules aircraft powers through a hurricane, a loadmaster is in the back, preparing and launching dropsondes that

  • Hurricane Hunters fly Hurricane Sam

    The Air Force Reserve’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, better known as the Hurricane Hunters, flew their first mission into Hurricane Sam out of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Sept. 27.First recognized as Tropical Depression 18 Sept. 22, the National Hurricane Center began monitoring the

  • Reservists wrap up Hurricane Ida reconnaissance

    The Air Force Reserve’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Hurricane Hunters assigned to the 403rd Wing at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., finished flying Hurricane Ida as the category 4 storm made landfall in Louisiana, Aug. 29.

  • Little Rock Reserve maintainers assist Keesler with WC-130J repair

    Maintaining aircraft for 10 WC-130J Super Hercules is no easy task, especially when that job is to repair an aircraft after a destructive fire.On Nov. 1, 2020, a 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron crew was preparing to take off to fly Hurricane Eta when the aircraft’s left wing caught fire. None

  • Hurricane Hunters get upgraded

    The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron “Hurricane Hunters” aerial reconnaissance weather officer and loadmaster/dropsonde operator stations are being upgraded with hardware and software to increase their weather collecting capabilities.“The (Meteorology Equipment Technician) shop is in the middle