Research squadron VXS-1 mobilizes quickly to track Hurricane Idalia

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's Scientific Development Squadron (VXS) 1 mobilized a crew for a NP-3C Orion operation with less than 24 hours' notice to airdrop 18 SOFAR Spotter buoys in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of Hurricane Idalia on Monday, August 28. The VXS-1 crew personally deployed the buoys from the aircraft on behalf of researchers working with the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) Hurricane Coastal Impacts (NHCI).