Presentation Transcript
Slide1: ATMOSPHERIC OBSERVATIONS FROM TACTICAL UNMANNED AERONATICAL VEHICLES
Patricia Pauley, Larry Phegley, Gerard Vogel
Naval Research Laboratory, Monterey, California
CAPT Barry Hunte, USAF
USAF 57 Operations Support Squadron Predator Weather
Nellis AFB, Nevada
Slide2: PREDATOR http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/predator/specs.html
Slide3: http://fas.org/irp/doddir/usaf/conops_uav/part06.htm Predator Flow of Meteorological Data GCS AMDAR PC NRL & FNMOC
Slide4: Predator AMDAR
Data encoded using WMO FM-42 (AMDAR) format
Messages include:
Aircraft identifier
Observation time (to the nearest minute)
Pressure altitude (to the nearest 100 ft)
Latitude and longitude (to the nearest minute)
Air temperature (to the nearest 0.1°C)
Wind direction and speed (to the nearest degree/knot)
Flight phase
Roll and pitch angles (non-standard)
Slide5: Predator AMDAR
Sampling rates:
Approximately 1000 ft (300 m) in ascents and descents (can have more than one report per minute)
Approximately 5 min in level flight
Slide7: Evaluating Predator AMDAR
Data from Predator training flights out of Creech AFB
Approximately 20 flights available
9 June to 5 Aug 2005
Start time typically between 1430 and 1800 UTC
Duration typically 1.5 to 4 hr
Predator data compared with:
Desert Rock (72387) rawinsonde observations
Commercial aircraft data from McCarran Int’l
Model background (“innovations”)
Analysis (“residuals”)
Slide8: Case 1: PR091
First flight processed through FNMOC decoders and NAVDAS pre-processor
From 1632 to 2119 UTC 13 June 2005
Series of touch-and-go’s in the middle of the flight
Slide12: Case 2: PR102
Flight cruised near 450 mb and landed near rawinsonde launch time
From 1801 to 2200 UTC 23 June 2005
High-resolution rawinsonde temperatures obtained
Slide18: Case 3: PR102
First flight processed through the FNMOC beta run
First flight processed through all of NAVDAS residuals as well as innovations available
From 1618 to 1820 UTC 23 June 2005
Slide20: Summary
Predator AMDAR data received at NRL / FNMOC from approximately 20 flights from 9 June to 5 Aug 2005
Temperatures warmer than NOGAPS background field by 2-4°C
Temperature innovations in ascents warmer than in descents
Winds reasonable for small roll angles
Slide21: Future Plans
Obtain collocated rawinsonde data for comparison
Implement a correction scheme for the apparent temperature sensor lag
Determine whether the airspeed correction is applied to the temperatures and correct if necessary
As sufficient data become available, determine a reasonable roll angle threshold for wind data
Utilize UAV data in operational NAVDAS runs at FNMOC