Munich

The German research ministry has approved the construction of a high-performance research aircraft that should be ferrying European atmospheric researchers into the upper atmosphere by 2007.

The €67-million (US$81.5-million) High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft (HALO) will be able to fly 8,000 kilometres before refuelling, allowing scientists to monitor conditions in some of the crucial regions for climate research around the world — from Brazil to the South Atlantic, and from southeast Asia to arctic Russia. Its maximum payload of more than 3 tonnes will enable several groups to conduct experiments simultaneously during one flight.

The plane is designed to reach unprecedented heights of 16,000 metres — the upper part of the boundary region between the stratosphere and the troposphere. Other research planes can reach only a maximum of 13,000 metres. Studying this higher region will improve researchers' understanding of atmospheric circulation. It will also help them to evaluate whether pollution from the growing fleet of commercial aircraft is having an impact on cloud formation and climate.

HALO will be based on a Gulfstream G550 — a luxury passenger jet. But its interior will bear little resemblance to its plush origins. The seats will be replaced by two rows of cabin-high instrument racks, with small niches for up to six operators. A window in the plane's floor will allow observation of the atmosphere below.

The United States also has a high-specification research plane in the works. Its High-performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research (HIAPER), commissioned three years ago, is due to fly its first missions next year. But the German plane is based on a newer, larger jet.