Image: CNNNASA is flying a modified U-2 spy plane to study how wildfires can create storms
• NASA is deploying modified ER-2 jets, based on Cold War-era U-2 spy planes, to investigate wildfire-generated storms. • The agency is utilizing these specific aircraft because their high-altitude flying capabilities allow for the study of weather phenomena that are otherwise difficult to observe. • This research is critical because wildfire-driven storms are among Earth's least understood weather events, impacting both fire containment and atmospheric science.
cnn.com