The High-Performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research (HIAPER) research aircraft is a Gulfstream V (GV) business jet that has been highly modified for research has unique capabilities that set it apart from other research aircraft. It can reach 49,000 feet (15,000 meters), enabling scientists to collect data at the tops of storms and the lower edge of the stratosphere. With a range of about 4,000 nautical miles (7,408 kilometers), it can track atmospheric particles across the oceans or reach the South Pole from bases in South America or New Zealand.