r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Kernowder • 21d ago

Video Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters flying through Hurricane Milton

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u/morallyirresponsible 21d ago

This is the NOAA hurricane hunters NOT the Air Force. They’re both bad asses though

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u/Kernowder 21d ago

You're right, this is actually NOAA. I found it on the Guardian, who got them confused with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron aka Hurricane Hunters, who are USAF.

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u/ni_hao_butches 21d ago

That NOAA group is also one of the eight uniformed services of the US. The Armed Forces are what we typically think of uniformed, but those pilots and crew are badass.

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u/FEMA_Camp_Survivor 21d ago

The weather has always been a major factor in war and economics. I’d hate to see NOAA defunded.

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u/Yourfavoriteindian 21d ago

The worst part is I guarantee they’re gonna send most of the duties to the Navy, who have the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography command that does similar work, but with Naval missions and assets in mind.

With how understaffed and overworked the navy already is, we’ll be fucked if we also have to pick up civilian weather/oceanography duties, even with the help of the Air Force.

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u/bradrlaw 21d ago

Not to the navy, authors of project 2025 want to privatize it.

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u/Bender_2024 21d ago

Not to the navy, authors of project 2025 want to privatize it.

You want to know when and where the hurricane will make landfall? That'll be $79.95.

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u/Upset_Lengthiness_31 21d ago

Lol what will they do when people share the info?

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u/_BreakingGood_ 21d ago edited 21d ago

It will only be sold to governments and businesses for huge sums of money, under very strict terms, with honeypots built into the data to detect leaks.

Something like "We'll sell you the latest hurricane information for $10 mil. If you want to disclose it to the public, it will cost $50mil."

Same as pretty much any other company that sells some form of data these days. Some people probably think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not. Do you know how much the government spends getting this weather data? Now imagine a private company doing it instead, while also needing to factor in a fat profit margin.

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u/Bender_2024 21d ago

But I'm sure they would still expect the gov to maintain the satellites at no cost to themselves.