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.
