WindBorne wins US Air Force balloon data contract worth up to $49 million

What happened

The U.S. Air Force awarded WindBorne Systems a contract worth up to $49 million for atmospheric data collected by its autonomous weather balloons, with $1.7 million ordered so far. The Air Force pays as needed and can request data for specific regions and times. WindBorne operates about 700 balloons globally and also feeds their readings into its AI weather forecasting model; executives say the contract can support fleet expansion and hardware research and development.

The story so far

The U.S. Air Force awarded WindBorne Systems a contract worth up to $49 million for atmospheric data collected by its autonomous weather balloons and has ordered $1.7 million worth so far. Awarded without competitive bidding, the contract lets the Air Force buy data as needed for specific regions and times; the $49 million ceiling is not a guaranteed payment. WindBorne operates about 700 balloons globally and also uses their readings in its AI weather forecasting model. Company executives said the contract could support expansion of the balloon fleet and hardware research and development.

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