More Comments On NWS RRS Sonde Problems

I received the following news blurb from El Paso:
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Thanks for re-lighting the RRS fire. Something of interest for you -- we currently have a group of people from the Sterling Field Support Center visiting EPZ. They are going to be launching comparison flights, testing different sondes starting today.

This suddenly was announced to us all a couple weeks ago. Very surprising, as there has been no talk of RRS sonde replacement that I've heard.
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My thoughts on this news:

Wouldn't it be helpful if NWS alerted their own internal users about what's going on! And it would be amazing if external users of NWS upper-air data were filled in on both all the problems and the long-term plans for fixing the system. I have heard rumors that they (NWS, Observing Systems Branch, Chief - joseph.facundo@noaa.gov - if any readers have questions) are moving on a fast track to replace the flawed Sippican humidity sensor, and that the entire Sippican Microsonde will eventually be replaced.

Bob