# 119-s-4802: Hurricane Hunter Aircraft Recapitalization Act

119-s-4802, Hurricane Hunter Aircraft Recapitalization Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA] (D-WA); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4802
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4802
- Congress: 119
- Title: Hurricane Hunter Aircraft Recapitalization Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2026-06-17
- Sponsor: Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA] (D-WA)
- Cosponsors: 5
- Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Recapitalizing NOAA's manned hurricane reconnaissance fleet** to preserve continuous airborne data for forecasting, warnings, and research. The bill would set mission requirements, fund new aircraft and operations, and require backup capabilities and trained NOAA aviators. - Communities and emergency planners: Requires near real‑time meteorological, oceanographic, and atmospheric data for research, forecasting, and warnings, and demands continuity of airborne reconnaissance during transitions to avoid a single point of failure. - NOAA pilots and operations: Mandates maintenance of qualified NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps aviators and raises the fleet size floor to 6 and ceiling to 9 manned aircraft while requiring upkeep of radar and remote sensing systems like Tail Doppler Radar or successors. - Procurement and funding: Authorizes multiyear aircraft contracts with duration waivers and safeguards for contingent liabilities, increases acquisition authority and creates an operations funding stream to support recapitalization and ongoing missions. *Would authorize about $2.5 billion for aircraft acquisition and $45 million per year for FY2027–2031, increasing federal spending to recapitalize and sustain NOAA's hurricane aircraft program.*

## Cosponsors (5)

- Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (R-TX), 2026-06-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE] (D-DE), 2026-06-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS] (R-MS), 2026-06-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-06-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC] (R-NC), 2026-06-17T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Stronger NOAA hurricane aircraft program: benefit, high. This bill would let NOAA buy and maintain a dedicated fleet of manned hurricane reconnaissance and research aircraft. It would authorize up to $2.5 billion for aircraft acquisition from fiscal years 2027 through 2031, and $45 million each year for aviation operations in 2027–2031. It would require…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-2296: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-4784: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027
- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-4802 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4802)

## Related
- [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071)
- [119-s-2296: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2296)
- [119-s-4784: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4784)
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-524)
- [119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3923)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4802 (as of 2026-09-10).