Weather Modification, Inc (WMI) has taken delivery of five new Hawker Beechcraft aircraft at their facility in Fargo, US. Two King Air 200GTs, two Hawker 400XPs and one Hawker 900XP were test flown and accepted by WMI and will be used for air quality monitoring, atmospheric research and cloud seeding missions in Saudi Arabia.

With 10 WMI turboprop aircraft currently in Saudi Arabia, WMI began this mission in the winter of 2006 in an effort to replenish the region's underground aquifers and increase rainfall in the Kingdom.

"This marks a significant step of a major mission for us," says WMI president Pat Sweeney. "We'll provide the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the tools they need to perform the most advanced cloud seeding and atmospheric research projects in the world, with the goal of increasing rainfall in a country that needs it."

Before flying overseas to begin the mission, WMI will work with Fargo Jet Center (FJC) to modify and equip the planes with cloud seeding equipment and atmospheric research instruments. FJC is an aircraft maintenance and avionics repair station and a designated Hawker Beechcraft Service Center. As of this past year, FJC has completed more than 30 special mission aircraft conversions.

"It is a testament to our special mission team and the processes they have in place," says Sweeney. "It is certainly not an easy process, but we have an incredibly talented team retro-fitting these aircraft to make them mission-ready for projects around the world."

The aircraft modification process has already begun to make the aircraft mission-ready by April this year. Without permanent surface water, agriculture in Saudi Arabia is dependent on irrigation from pumped groundwater. Public and industrial water needs are currently met by expensive desalination plants.

According to a United Nations Environmental Program Report, the present rate of groundwater withdrawal from the region threatens the Saudi aquifers, and with increased development and population growth, groundwater contamination becomes an additional concern.

"The situation isn't dire in Saudi Arabia, but it certainly is serious and can't be ignored," adds Sweeney. "There are limits to the capacities of the desalination plants and water pipelines the country has in place."

Atmospheric water in the form of precipitation is one of the primary sources of fresh water in the world. However, a large amount of water present in clouds is never trans-formed into precipitation on the ground prompting scientists and engineers to explore augmenting water supplies through cloud seeding. The ability to enhance precipitation through cloud seeding is highly dependent on the properties of the clouds, aerosols and the atmospheric environment.

This marks the third year of research and cloud seeding operations conducted by WMI in Saudi Arabia. Officials estimate the research to take another three to five years to collect the necessary data and conduct the exploratory seeding trials.

In total, WMI will provide 12 new aircraft, including pilots and crew, which will focus on the entire country of Saudi Arabia. WMI expects all 12 to be operational by March 2010.