Lockheed WC-130 Hercules Weather

WC-130H Hercules Hurricane Hunter airplane model. The WC-130H was used in weather reconnaissance and aerial sampling. The plane is modified to penetrate hurricanes and typhoons to collect meteorological data that make advanced warnings of such storms possible. Weather reconnaissance equipment gathers information on movement, intensity and size of storms; outside air temperature; humidity; dewpoint; and barometric pressure. The WC-130H is capable of staying aloft nearly 15 hours during missions. It is equipped with two external 1,400 gallon (5,320-liter) fuel tanks, an internal 1,800 gallon (6,480 liter) fuel tank, and has uprated engines. An average weather reconnaissance mission might last 11 hours and cover almost 3,500 miles while the crew collects and reports weather data every minute. Studies have shown that the weather data sent directly from the aircraft to the National Hurricane Center in Miami improves the hurricane forecasts by 25%. Scale: 1/100. Wingspan 16 inches, Length 12 inches.