Armored T-28 Aircraft Facility for Research Requiring Storm Penetrations

该项目将使装甲T-28气象研究飞机系统继续运作，作为研究云、雷暴和冰雹过程的国家设施。拟议的合作协议规定了T-28飞机以及相关仪器和软件的管理、人员配备、升级、测试、操作和维护。这些努力将保持飞机的性能和测量能力，并使其可用于支持即将到来的几个研究项目，这些项目需要在成熟的对流风暴周围进行观测。这些研究的重点是雷暴带电及其与NOx产生的关系，以及验证和改进极化雷达的水流星识别算法。拟议的协议包括支持设施部署的科学工作，以及对由此产生的数据工程工作进行分析，以评估为改善飞机性能而进行的修改，以及为增强设施的科学和教育能力而进行的仪器和软件升级。

This project provides for continued operation of the armored T-28 meteorological research aircraft system as a national facility for research into cloud, thunderstorm and hailstorm processes. The proposed cooperative agreement provides for the management, staffing, upgrading, testing, operation, and maintenance of the T-28 aircraft and associated instrumentation and software. These efforts will maintain the performance and measurement capabilities of the aircraft and make it available for support of several upcoming research projects requiring observations within the around mature covective storms. The focus of these investigations is on thunderstorm electrification and its relation to Nox production, and on validating and improving hydrometeor-identification algorithms for polarimetric radars. The proposed agreement includes scientific effort to support facility deployments and analysis of the resulting data engineering effort to evaluate modifications to improve aircraft performance, and instrumentation and software upgrades to enhance the scientific and educational capabilities of the facility.