As the 2026 hurricane season begins, a fleet of remote vessels known as Saildrones will continue to gather data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the sixth year in a row.
Saildrone, a maritime defense company, will deploy 10 Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vehicles during the season to support NOAA in its mission to forecast hurricanes, according to the company. The mission continues a partnership between Saildrone and NOAA that began in 2021.
Saildrone Explorer is equipped with hurricane wing. Photo courtesy Saildrone
An innovative partnership
Greg Foltz, an oceanographer at NOAA and one of the principal investigators on the mission, explained the significance of the collaboration.
