Curacao – Aircrews from the Air Force Reserve’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron flew a mission into Hurricane Melissa on October 27, 2025, aboard a WC-130J Super Hercules, gathering critical atmospheric data from inside the storm’s eye as the Category 5 system intensified over the Caribbean.

The Hurricane Hunters, part of the 403rd Wing based at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, operated from a forward location in Curacao to reach the powerful storm.

From there, the squadron carried out 17 missions and logged 170 flight hours into Hurricane Melissa.

Throughout these flights, the crews transmitted real-time measurements to the National Hurricane Center to support tracking and analysis of the storm.

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