HALO fly-over: At 22 metres high, HALO flies over the experiment. In the smoke, the two wake vortices are visible.
Credit: DLR (CC-BY 3.0).
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The new High Altitude and LOng Range Research Aircraft (HALO) research aircraft heralds a new chapter in the history of German atmospheric research and Earth observation. HALO is based on a Gulfstream G 550 ultra long range business jet. The combination of range, cruising altitude, payload and comprehensive instrumentation make the aircraft a globally unique research platform.
An additional container for scientific instruments is installed underneath the fuselage and wings.
HALO is based on the Gulfstream G550 ultra long range business jet. With a range of well over 8000 kilometres, HALO is the first aircraft capable of taking measurements on a continental scale. Any region from the poles to the tropics and remote areas of the Pacific can be reached in this research aircraft. The maximum flight altitude of over 15 kilometres also enables measurements to be taken in the lower stratosphere, outside of the tropics.
The 'belly pod' under the fuselage can accommodate scientific instruments.
HALO is based on the Gulfstream G550 ultra long range business jet. With a range of well over 8000 kilometres, HALO is the first aircraft capable of taking measurements on a continental scale. Any region from the poles to the tropics and remote areas of the Pacific can be reached in this research aircraft.
Up to 15 universal racks for scientific instrumentation can be accomodated in HALO's cabin.
Additional containers for scientific instruments can be attached under the aircraft's fuselage and under the wings.
The HALO project was made possible by the Max Planck Society, members of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren) and a number of other scientific institutes from the field of atmospheric research. In total, 31 research institutes are participating in the project.
Credit: Aero-Art Frank Herzog..
31 research institutes are involved in the HALO project.
HALO is 31 metres long - 1.6 metres account for the nose probe. It has a height of 7.9 metres and a wingspan of 28.5 metres.
HALO has a range of over 8000 kilometres and can reach altitudes of more than 15 kilometres.
The high-altitude research aircraft HALO (High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft): The modified business jet, a Gulfstream G 550, landed on 21 January 2009 at its home airfield in Oberpfaffenhofen.
Credit: DLR/A. Minikin.
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