Further, in 1989 an ad-hoc committee of 12 scientists was convened to review and comment on NCAR-prepared reports presenting the scientific justification for acquisition of a mid-sized jet for the NSF fleet. This Mid-Sized Jet Review Committee, chaired by Ronald Smith of Yale University, consisted primarily of university scientists with a broad range of experience in various disciplines of atmospheric and oceanic science. The Committee strongly endorsed the need for the mid-sized jet (MJ), stating:
"The potential of the MJ is perhaps slightly understated in the report... The primary reason for the MJ purchase would be to greatly increase the portion of the atmosphere and the area of the land, sea, and ice surfaces which can be directly observed. Many fundamental physical and chemical processes occurring in the upper troposphere, lower stratosphere, and in remote regions of the Earth cannot now be effectively studied... The MJ would be heavily used by the atmospheric and oceanic research communities... Further delay in upgrading the (NSF) fleet will seriously limit our national effort in atmospheric and oceanic research."
The capabilities of the new mid-sized jet considered by these groups to be most critical were payload, altitude, and range. Recently, aircraft of this type capable of carrying scientific payloads of up to 7,000 lb, to altitudes of up to 50,000 ft, and over ranges of up to 7,500 statute miles have become commercially available. These capabilities far exceed those of the current fleet. Such an aircraft would allow vital new research studies into important areas currently inaccessible to investigators: the tropical tropopause region and remote oceanic and polar areas anywhere on Earth. Like the current C-130, the new mid-sized jet would carry a wide variety of payloads and support a broad spectrum of research including atmospheric chemistry, clouds and radiation, large-scale and oceanic severe weather, and many remote-sensing applications.
The new aircraft would be able to operate reliably and efficiently from a variety of sites worldwide. It would be extensively modified to support a broad array of advanced instrumentation, science stations, and communications technologies. The university community and other NSF-supported groups would be heavily involved in specifying and developing the new instrumentation.
In response to this well established and often repeated scientific need, the NSF Directorate for Geosciences in FY 1997 proposed the acquisition of a High-Performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research (HIAPER) for the NSF fleet. In August 1997, a HIAPER Project Development Plan was submitted to the National Science Board, which gave it a favorable review and approved the continuation of the planning effort.
Activities in FY 1998 will include more detailed specification of the scientific and operational requirements for the aircraft, analyses of alternatives and costs, and refinement of the Project Development Plan. It is anticipated that actual acquisition would be initiated in FY 2000, and flight operations would begin in FY 2004.
