While the successful utilization of the P-3 Orion and Gulfstream 4 
aircraft have made NOAA a global leader in the area of hurricane 
aircraft surveillance and reconnaissance, detailed observations of 
the near-surface tropical cyclone (TC) boundary layer environment 
have been elusive due to the severe safety risks associated with low 
level TC manned flight missions. The primary objective of this funded 
project is to address this significant observational shortcoming by 
utilizing the unique low flying attributes of the (unmanned) Aerosonde 
observing platform.
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It is believed that the payoff for such an effort would be significant 
and in some cases immediate.  These benefits would include detailed 
documentation of a theretofore unknown region of the TC and simultaneously 
provide NOAA's Tropical Prediction Center (TPC) with real-time near surface 
wind and thermodynamic data within the TC environment.  In addition, this 
effort will enhance our physical understanding of this critically important 
environment and ultimately, provide improvements to future forecasts of 
TC intensity change.