Defense Weather Satellite System (DWSS)
Accurate, timely weather information for the warfighter
Military need for weather data
Weather conditions affect a wide range of battlefield operations, from ground logistics and maneuvers to air drops of supplies, to munitions strikes and mobility at sea.
The ability of warfighters to plan and execute successful missions depends on effective delivery of accurate and timely weather information. This involves knowledge of current and predicted conditions of cloud cover, temperature, moisture, and wind affecting land, sea and air domains, along with atmospheric profiles and forewarning of severe weather and dust storms.
Today’s force operations also depend on knowledge of space weather–including effects of solar dynamics–that affect critical assets, including communications and navigation.
For decades, measurements from the Air Force’s Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites have provided warfighters with situational awareness data needed for mission planning and operations around current and predicted weather conditions worldwide.
To maintain this critical support and meet requirements for the modern infrastructure, the Air Force and Northrop Grumman are building the next-generation Defense Weather Satellite System (DWSS) to deliver higher resolution, true-color weather data more rapidly to the warfighters. Read More >
