403rd Wing Aircraft Evacuate Ahead of Ida

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Chad E. Gibson
  • 403 WG/PA
KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. - The Air Force Reserve's 403rd Wing is evacuating aircraft Monday from Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., to forward operating locations in Texas to avoid possible heavy winds from Hurricane Ida.

The storm is expected to work its way near the Gulf Coast in the next 24 to 48 hours, according to the National Hurricane Center forecast.

The 403rd Wing, comprised of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron's "Hurricane Hunters" and the 815th Airlift Squadron's "Flying Jennies", typically evacuate the aircraft when winds are expected to exceed about 30 miles per hour to avoid damage.

The Hurricane Hunters remain ready for taskings from the National Hurricane Center. The squadron can operate from these forward operating locations indefinitely. The life-saving data collected by the Citizen Airmen increase the accuracy of the NHC forecast by 30 percent.

The 403rd Wing flies the most technologically advanced C-130 in the world, the Lockheed Martin C-130 J "Super Hercules."