WindBorne wins a hefty US Air Force contract for its balloon data

The U.S. Air Force has awarded WindBorne Systems a contract worth up to $49 million for atmospheric data gathered by its global fleet of weather balloons. The Redwood City startup operates roughly 700 autonomous weather balloons that collect sensor readings. The Air Force pays for data as needed by placing orders for specific regions and times, starting with an initial $1.7 million order.

According to WindBorne Chief Technology Officer Andrey Sushko, the uncompetitive contract acknowledges the startup as the sole provider meeting military operational needs for this global data capability. WindBorne feeds its collected data directly into its own deep-learning weather forecasting model. The company plans to use the contract funding to support fleet growth and research and development to improve balloon hardware and performance.

WindBorne previously raised a $37 million Series B funding round and recently flew an unpowered flight system into a typhoon's eye. Executives expect the Air Force to issue more regional orders over time as the military branch continues to utilize the data.