Hurricane Hunter Aircraft Recapitalization Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4802 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4802

To provide for the acquisition by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
      Administration of aircraft for air, atmosphere, and weather
     reconnaissance and research missions, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 17, 2026

 Ms. Cantwell (for herself, Mr. Cruz, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Mr. Wicker,
  Mr. Padilla, and Mr. Budd) introduced the following bill; which was
  read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
                             Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To provide for the acquisition by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
      Administration of aircraft for air, atmosphere, and weather
     reconnaissance and research missions, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Hurricane Hunter Aircraft
Recapitalization Act''.

SEC. 2. ACQUISITION OF AIRCRAFT FOR AIR, ATMOSPHERE, AND WEATHER
              RECONNAISSANCE AND RESEARCH MISSIONS.

    (a) In General.--Section 11708 of the Don Young Coast Guard
Authorization Act of 2022 (division K of Public Law 117-263; 136 Stat.
4158; 33 U.S.C. note prec. 851) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by striking ``Increased'' and all that follows
                through ``The Under'' and inserting ``Hurricane Hunter
                Mission.--The Under'';
                    (B) by striking ``shall acquire'' and inserting the
                following: ``shall--
            ``(1) acquire and maintain'';
                    (C) by striking ``requirements'' and all that
                follows through ``air reconnaissance and'' and
                inserting ``requirements to meet the National Oceanic
                and Atmospheric Administration air reconnaissance
                and''; and
                    (D) by striking ``(B) to ensure'' and all that
                follows through ``or nongovernmental entities.'' in
                paragraph (2) and inserting the following:
            ``(2) carry out airborne reconnaissance and research
        missions using such aircraft platforms under paragraph (1).'';
            (2) by redesignating subsections (b), (c), and (d) as
        subsections (d), (e), and (h), respectively;
            (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
    ``(b) Mission Requirements.--In carrying out subsection (a), the
Under Secretary shall--
            ``(1) collect real-time meteorological, oceanographic, and
        atmospheric observations and ensure such data is made available
        in near real-time for research and operational purposes,
        including forecasting, warning, and reconnaissance missions;
            ``(2) maintain the capability to safely conduct direct
        airborne penetration of hurricanes and tropical cyclones; and
            ``(3) ensure continuity of airborne hurricane
        reconnaissance capability during any aircraft recapitalization
        or transition period, including through the acquisition and
        maintenance of backup capabilities sufficient to prevent a
        single point of failure.
    ``(c) Airborne Observing Technologies.--In carrying out subsection
(a), the Under Secretary shall maintain and replace airborne radar and
remote sensing capabilities, including Tail Doppler Radar capabilities
or successor technologies, necessary to support operational hurricane
reconnaissance and forecasting missions.'';
            (4) in subsection (d) (as so redesignated)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by
                striking ``up to 6'' and inserting ``not fewer than 6,
                but not more than 9, manned''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``subparagraph
                (A)'' and inserting ``paragraph (1)'';
            (5) in subsection (e) (as so redesignated), by striking
        ``agency air reconnaissance and research mission requirements''
        and inserting ``the mission requirements described in
        subsection (b)'';
            (6) by inserting after subsection (e), as so redesignated,
        the following:
    ``(f) Multiyear Contracts.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Under Secretary may enter into
        multiyear contracts in accordance with section 3903 of title
        41, United States Code, for purposes of carrying out this
        section and shall ensure compliance with all contract clauses
        provided in such section of title 41, United States Code.
            ``(2) Exception for contract duration limitation.--The
        limitation on the duration of such contracts provided under
        subsection (a) of such section of title 41, United States Code,
        shall not apply to contracts for the acquisition of aircraft in
        accordance with this section or the maintenance of such
        aircraft, including any associated services or support,
        provided that such contracts comply with applicable law and
        include appropriate safeguards for any unfunded contingent
        liability in the event of cancellation.
    ``(g) NOAA Corps Aviation Capability.--The Under Secretary shall
maintain qualified National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Commissioned Officer Corps aviators to conduct the airborne
reconnaissance and research missions authorized under subsection
(a)(2).''; and
            (7) in subsection (h), as so redesignated--
                    (A) by striking ``For'' and inserting the
                following:
            ``(1) Acquisition of aircraft.--For'';
                    (B) by striking ``year 2023'' and inserting ``years
                2027 through 2031'';
                    (C) by striking ``$800,000,000'' and inserting
                ``$2,500,000,000''; and
                    (D) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) OMAO aviation operations and aircraft services.--For
        each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031, there is authorized to
        be appropriated to the Under Secretary $45,000,000 for aviation
        operations and aircraft services by the Office of Marine and
        Aviation Operations.''.
    (b) Transfer.--
            (1) Weather research and forecasting innovation act of
        2017.--The Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of
        2017 is amended by repealing section 413 (15 U.S.C. 8549).
            (2) Don young coast guard authorization act of 2022.--The
        Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022 is further
        amended by transferring section 11708 of such Act, as amended
        by subsection (a), to the Weather Research and Forecasting
        Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8501 et seq.) to appear as
        section 413 of such Act and redesignating such section, as so
        transferred, as section 413.
    (c) Clerical Amendments.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of
the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 is amended
by striking the item related to section 413 and inserting the
following:

``Sec. 413. Acquisition of aircraft for air, atmosphere, and weather
                            reconnaissance and research missions.''.
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