Hurricane Milton: Video shows military aircraft flying through centre of powerful storm

Incredible footage has been captured from the cockpit of a Lockheed WP-3D Orion as it flew inside one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic.  

The Orion, known as Miss Piggy, is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) aircraft which plays a key role in collecting data for tropical cyclone research and forecasting.

One of two hurricane-hunters, the aircraft's footage shows the crew calmly proceeding with their mission despite being hit by turbulence caused by the hurricane.

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Miss Piggy, a variant of the US Navy's P-3 maritime surveillance aircraft, is powered by a Rolls-Royce T56-14 Series 3.5 engine and can reach speeds of 250 knots.

The aircraft is 116.83ft long and has a wingspan of 99.66ft.

She can fly for more than 11 hours and has a range of 3,800 nautical miles. Miss Piggy works alongside a second hurricane-hunter with the callsign of Kermit.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps is one of the eight uniformed services in the United States. 

Hurricane Milton is a category five storm that has been gusting up to 175 mph – the fifth most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic. 

Footage released by the International Space Station showed the size of the hurricane as it moved over the Gulf of Mexico toward the west coast of Florida.

The data collected during the mission will be used to improve forecasts and support hurricane research.