topic Research

High-altitude Research Aircraft HALO

With HALO, Germany will have a new research aircraft for the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere. The aircraft will enable more precise forecasting of weather and climate events as well as better preventive measures. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) participates with €47.5 million, i.e. 70% of the total costs, in the new high-altitude research aircraft HALO (High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft). The Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (HGF) and the Max Planck Society (MPG) together cover the remaining costs of €19.5 million. The contract was signed on 16 February 2005.

HALO will provide a previously unseen quality of measurements in the higher layers of the atmosphere, which are particularly important for life on Earth. It will also make an important contribution to our understanding of the problems of the ozone layer and the exchange of air pollutants. HALO is to conduct measurements primarily in the troposphere and the lower stratosphere and to be used for earth observation.

In almost all important parameters, the HALO aircraft platform surpasses the performance of all other operating research aircrafts worldwide: at an altitude of over 15 kilometres, and with a payload of three tons and a range of over 8000 kilometres, measurements on the scale of continents, in all latitudes from the tropics to the polar regions as well as at altitudes up to the lower stratosphere will thus be possible for the first time.

Research priorities for HALO include studies on

• the formation of precipitation which is important for the climate and the development of extreme weather events, including the vertical transport of humidity and cloud water,
• the self-cleaning processes in the atmosphere, as well as
• the chemical and dynamic processes in the transition area between troposphere and stratosphere.

The outstanding features of the research aircraft will open up entirely new dimensions for German climate and atmospheric research and consolidate its top-class position. HALO continues a successful German tradition, namely that of the Falcon research aircraft, which will be mustered out in the next years for reasons of age. The DLR has operated this research aircraft for years. Based on this experience, the DLR has taken over the task of finding a manufacturer for the construction of HALO and of drawing up the contractual basic. Now, a business jet will be converted for HALO and fitted for scientific tasks by means of special openings in the fuselage for optical windows and air vents as well as fixing points for the mounting of measuring equipment below the fuselage or below the wings.

HALO is the second of nine large-scale research facilities for basic research which the Science Council recommended for implementation in 2002. Based on the agreement reached recently, HALO will be available to science earlier than expected.

As early as 2008, HALO is to take off from the airfield of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in Oberpfaffenhofen for research flights around the globe.