High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Lockheed WC-130 Weatherbird is a high-wing, medium-range aircraft used in weather reconnaissance missions. The aircraft is a modified version of the C-130 transport configured with palletized weather instrumentation for penetration of tropical disturbances and storms, hurricanes and winter storms to obtain data on movement, size and intensity. The WC-130 is the weather data collection platform for the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron.