The Airborne Precipitation Radar 3rd Generation (APR-3) CPEX dataset consists of radar reflectivity, Doppler velocity for all bands, linear depolarization ratio Ku-band, and normalized radar cross section measurements at Ka- and Ku- bands data collected by the APR-3 onboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft. These data were gathered during the Convective Processes Experiment (CPEX) aircraft field campaign. CPEX collected data to help answer questions about convective storm initiation, organization, growth, and dissipation in the North Atlantic-Gulf of America-Caribbean Oceanic region during the early summer of 2017. These data files are available from May 27, 2017 through June 24, 2017 in a HDF-5 file, with associated browse imagery in JPG format.

The Airborne Precipitation Radar 3rd Generation (APR-3) CPEX-CV dataset consists of radar reflectivity, Doppler velocity for all bands, linear depolarization ratio Ku-band, and normalized radar cross-section measurements at Ka- and Ku- bands data collected by the APR-3 onboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft. These data were gathered during the Convective Processes Experiment – Cabo Verde (CPEX-CV) field campaign. The NASA CPEX-CV field campaign will be based out of Sal Island, Cabo Verde from August through September 2022. The campaign is a continuation of CPEX – Aerosols and Winds (CPEX-AW) and was conducted aboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft equipped with remote sensors and dropsonde-launch capability that will allow for the measurement of tropospheric aerosols, winds, temperature, water vapor, and precipitation. The overarching CPEX-CV goal was to investigate atmospheric dynamics, marine boundary layer properties, convection, the dust-laden Saharan Air Layer, and their interactions across various spatial scales to improve understanding and predictability of process-level lifecycles in the data-sparse tropical East Atlantic region. These data files are available from September 2, 2022, through September 30, 2022, in netCDF-4 format, with associated browse imagery in JPG format.

The GRIP Airborne Second Generation Precipitation Radar (APR-2) dataset was collected from the Second Generation Airborne Precipitation Radar (APR-2), which is a dual-frequency (13 GHz and 35 GHz), Doppler, dual-polarization radar system. It has a downward looking antenna that performs cross track scans. Additional features include: simultaneous dual-frequency, matched beam operation at 13.4 and 35.6 GHz (same as GPM Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar), simultaneous measurement of both like- and cross-polarized signals at both frequencies, Doppler operation, and real-time pulse compression (calibrated reflectivity data can be produced for large areas in the field during flight, if necessary). The APR-2 flew on the NASA DC-8 for the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) experiment and collected data between Aug 17, 2010 - Sep 22, 2010 and are in HDF-4 format. The major goal was to better understand how tropical storms form and develop into major hurricanes. NASA used the DC-8 aircraft, the WB-57 aircraft and the Global Hawk Unmanned Airborne System (UAS), configured with a suite of in situ and remote sensing instruments that were used to observe and characterize the lifecycle of hurricanes.

The GPM Ground Validation Airborne Second Generation Precipitation Radar (APR-2) GCPEx dataset was collected during the GPM Cold-season Precipitation Experiment (GCPEx), which occurred in Ontario, Canada during the winter season of 2011-2012. GCPEx addressed shortcomings in the GPM snowfall retrieval algorithm by collecting microphysical properties, associated remote sensing observations, and coordinated model simulations of precipitating snow. The Second Generation Airborne Precipitation Radar (APR-2) is a dual-frequency (13 GHz and 35 GHz), Doppler, dual-polarization radar system. It has a downward looking antenna that performs cross track scans, covering a swath that is +/- 25 degrees to each side of the aircraft path. Additional features include: simultaneous dual-frequency, matched beam operation at 13.4 and 35.6 GHz (same as GPM Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar), simultaneous measurement of both like- and cross-polarized signals at both frequencies, Doppler operation, and real-time pulse compression (calibrated reflectivity data can be produced for large areas in the field during flight, if necessary). The APR-2 flew aboard the NASA DC-8 for the GPM Cold-season Precipitation Experiment (GCPEx) from 11 January to 25 February, 2012.

The GPM Ground Validation Airborne Precipitation Radar 3rd Generation (APR-3) OLYMPEX V2 dataset was collected from November 12, 2015 to December 19, 2015 during the GPM Ground Validation Olympic Mountains Experiment (OLYMPEX) field campaign held in the Pacific Northwest. This dataset is version -2 (V2) of the APR-3, an enhanced and upgraded instrument derived from the APR-2 used in previous field campaigns. APR-3 has the addition of W-band measurement capability, and scans cross-track from +/- 25° to the right and left of nadir. Ku-band, Ka-band, and W-band frequency Doppler measurements are made by APR-3 from the DC-8 aircraft at 10 km altitude during OLYMPEX. The APR-3 dataset files are in HDF-5 format with JPG format browse images. This dataset contains radar reflectivity, Doppler velocity for all bands, linear depolarization ratio at Ku-band, and normalized radar cross section measurements at Ka and Ku-bands.

The Airborne Second Generation Precipitation Radar (APR-2) collected data in the Wakasa Bay AMSR-E validation campaign over the sea of Japan on board a NASA P-3 aircraft. Data were collected on all P-3 flights that encountered precipitation.