First look at Hurricane Hunters' new research planes

The NOAA Hurricane Hunters are always looking to the future to see how they can be the most technologically advanced team to study hurricanes and keep us safe when the next storm strikes. The P3 Orion aircrafts, cleverly named "Kermit" and "Miss Piggy" have been flying into storms for over 50 years - and soon it will be time to pay tribute to their "inspirational , celebrational and Muppetational" careers. The current planes were first introduced to the fleet in the 1970s where the P3 Orion aircrafts were nicknamed "the pig". Then in the 1990s a few engineers working on the incredible planes coined the name "miss piggy" and the Muppet name trend then spread to all of the aircrafts in the fleet. But after years of flying its soon time for the curtain to close on the Muppet show. The P3 Orions will be phased out for two specialized C-130J Hercules aircrafts to become the next generation of NOAA hurricane hunter aircrafts.