Equipped with heavy armor and one of the most powerful cannons ever flown, the A-10 Thunderbolt jet was built to survive. Now, after 30 years of busting tanks on battlefields, it has a new mission: flying into the violent heart of thunderstorms. The National Science Foundation provided $10.9 million to convert one of the jets into the world's most formidable storm-chasing research vessel, outfitted to withstand the lightning, turbulence, and hail that big clouds unleash.
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