individual
What campus are you from?
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
Lauren Baez, Junior
Lead Presenter's Name
Lauren Baez
Faculty Mentor Name
Dr. Joshua Wadler
Abstract
A hurricane’s intentions are unknown until you look it in the eye. Dragoon’s Coriolis Small Uncrewed Aircraft System (sUAS) has been engineered to collect atmospheric sounding data at low altitude regimes within these severe weather events. During 2025 operations, Coriolis has been classified as a mature prototype capable of operating more than 15 continuous hours and Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS). Launching from land, it travels under a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Certificate of Waiver that grants it immunity from 14 CFR § 107.31 and § 107.33. Upon reaching atmospheric disturbances prior to their landfall, the Coriolis gathers measurements on temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed, and GPS position throughout its flight. This data is to be transmitted near-real time to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Hurricane Center to develop an atmospheric profiling of otherwise inaccessible regions within hurricanes. On June 2025, Dragoon’s Coriolis had its first test flight in partnership with the NOAA Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Division (UASD) and Aircraft Operations Center (AOC). NOAA’s P-3 deployed dropsondes to build an atmospheric profile of the clear air environment. The sUAS navigated and observed altitudes sampled by the dropsondes. The project’s aims consist of evaluating the behavior of the Coriolis within this test flight and its performance to determine the quality and integrity of the atmospheric sounding it generated. This analysis consists of aligning the sampled data by both systems and examining how close the gathered data mirrors that of the dropsonde. The major outlook emphasizes significant advancements in the surveillance and understanding of a storm’s dynamic structure. A successful launch has the potential to improve public safety outreach by strengthening models used for forecasting storms and their intensity. Dragoon’s Coriolis would reinforce these models by becoming an integral part of routine hurricane reconnaissance missions.
Did this research project receive funding support from the Office of Undergraduate Research.
No
Coriolis Uncrewed Aircraft System Storm Operations and Implementation into Hurricane Reconnaissance Missions
A hurricane’s intentions are unknown until you look it in the eye. Dragoon’s Coriolis Small Uncrewed Aircraft System (sUAS) has been engineered to collect atmospheric sounding data at low altitude regimes within these severe weather events. During 2025 operations, Coriolis has been classified as a mature prototype capable of operating more than 15 continuous hours and Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS). Launching from land, it travels under a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Certificate of Waiver that grants it immunity from 14 CFR § 107.31 and § 107.33. Upon reaching atmospheric disturbances prior to their landfall, the Coriolis gathers measurements on temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed, and GPS position throughout its flight. This data is to be transmitted near-real time to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Hurricane Center to develop an atmospheric profiling of otherwise inaccessible regions within hurricanes. On June 2025, Dragoon’s Coriolis had its first test flight in partnership with the NOAA Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Division (UASD) and Aircraft Operations Center (AOC). NOAA’s P-3 deployed dropsondes to build an atmospheric profile of the clear air environment. The sUAS navigated and observed altitudes sampled by the dropsondes. The project’s aims consist of evaluating the behavior of the Coriolis within this test flight and its performance to determine the quality and integrity of the atmospheric sounding it generated. This analysis consists of aligning the sampled data by both systems and examining how close the gathered data mirrors that of the dropsonde. The major outlook emphasizes significant advancements in the surveillance and understanding of a storm’s dynamic structure. A successful launch has the potential to improve public safety outreach by strengthening models used for forecasting storms and their intensity. Dragoon’s Coriolis would reinforce these models by becoming an integral part of routine hurricane reconnaissance missions.