Recent Press
Drone Intercepts Oklahoma tornado
NBC NEWS
A drone captured new video of the vortex of an Oklahoma tornado. According to the drone storm-chasing project, "OTUS", this is a perspective no one has seen before. Louis Tucker, the drone's pilot, spoke with NBC News' Gadi Schwartz about the data it is collecting and the future of storm-chasing. For more context and news coverage of the most important stories of our day, click here: https://www.nbcnews.com
OTUS Project Collects Critical Surface Wind Data Inside Of Tornadoes
Until now, tornadic wind speeds near the ground have been difficult to measure. A new project called OTUS sends drones into the CD lower part of funnels to determine these speeds.
Severe Weather Preparedness: Researchers push boundaries with first‑ever drone tornado intercept
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Tornadoes have been studied for decades, yet there is still so much we do not know about them. Now, the effort to understand these violent storms is becoming more high‑tech than ever.
Meteorologists fly drones into tornadoes to uncover secrets of storm behavior
ORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — A group of meteorologists and scientists has a new approach to studying tornadoes: they’re flying drones into them.
First-of-its-kind drone video taken inside a tornado
With winds over 100 mph, it may seem impossible to fly a drone into the buzz saw of a tornado. But it’s now been done three times by Nelson Tucker, Louis Tucker and Tanner Beard. They founded a non-profit called the Otus project — observations of tornadoes by UAV systems.
OTUS Project Drones Are Flying Into Tornadoes. For Science.
Nobody handed the OTUS Project a research budget and a lab. Three friends on a midnight phone call in February 2024 decided to build drones from scratch and fly them into one of the most violent forces on Earth.
Less than three months later, Louis Tucker flew the first drone inside a tornado. History made. On a shoestring.
Helpful Tornado Technology Created by MU Meteorology Student
Nelson Tucker’s passion for tornadoes and desire to help others has led him, along with his brother and two friends, to create the OTUS project, which stands for the Observations of Tornadoes by UAV Systems.
