Feasibility Study of A-10 for Storm Penetration

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The retirement of the armored T-28 Storm Penetration Aircraft, operated and maintained by the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, left a gap in the ability to penetrate convective storms to study cloud physics, hydrometeors, electrical phenomena, and providing in situ data for ground based remote sensing instruments.Two workshops had identified an A-10 aircraft as being potential replacement for the T-28 as well as a platform that could provide more extensive service to the geosciences community. The study is an extensive engineering analysis of the A-10?s applicability to meet current and projected science requirements. The results of this study will determine the financial and physical constraints to operate the A-10 as a national facility for the National Science Foundation.