Gretchen Mullendore Contracts Thunderstorm Study with Northrop Grumman

Dr. Gretchen Mullendore, Associate Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, has received a contract from the Northrop Grumman Corporation to study tropical thunderstorms as a hazard to UAS operations. While it is well known that aircraft should not fly directly through thunderstorms, hazards also extend beyond the visible boundary of the storms. The question to be addressed is: what is an appropriate avoidance distance that will ensure aircraft safety while optimizing mission performance? This study, with an initial funding of $75,000, will begin to examine this issue.