Ondas Wins $4.8M Navy Contract for Three-Month High-Altitude Balloon Surveillance
ONDS•Ondas’s World View division secured a $4.8M, three-month contract to deploy high-altitude balloon systems across the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean for the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command’s Maritime Domain Awareness program. The balloons will deliver intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support on counter-narcotics and illegal fishing missions.
1. Contract Award Details
Ondas’s unit World View Enterprises has been selected by U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and SMX to provide stratospheric high-altitude balloon systems for a Maritime Domain Awareness mission. The initial contract is valued at approximately $4.8 million and spans a three-month operational period across the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean.
2. Program Capabilities
Under the agreement, World View will deploy high-altitude balloons equipped for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) to support counter-narcotics operations and monitor illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. The balloons form part of SOUTHCOM’s expanded use of autonomous and unmanned systems to enhance wide-area maritime awareness.
3. Strategic Implications and Track Record
This contract follows World View’s participation in UNITAS 2025, where its stratospheric platforms demonstrated persistent surveillance and resilient communications. Having completed over 140 stratospheric flights with payloads up to 10,000 kg for clients including NASA, NOAA and U.S. military branches, the unit reinforces Ondas’s position in defense-oriented autonomous systems.
