Ondas Inc. (NASDAQ: ONDS) announced that its subsidiary World View Enterprises has been selected by the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and SMX for a maritime domain awareness program. The initial contract is valued at approximately $4.8 million over three months.

World View will provide high-altitude balloon systems to support counter-narcotics and illegal fishing missions in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean regions. The program follows World View's participation in UNITAS 2025, a multinational maritime exercise where the company demonstrated stratospheric surveillance capabilities.

The contract supports SOUTHCOM's operations across its area of responsibility, where the command seeks to expand use of autonomous and unmanned systems. World View's balloons will provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities from the stratosphere to complement other maritime security assets.

"World View's selection for this operational program is a clear validation of the role stratospheric ISR can play in modern maritime security," said Eric Brock, Chairman and CEO of Ondas.

SMX, which leads the program, specializes in cloud-based command and control intelligence solutions for defense applications. World View has completed over 140 stratospheric flights carrying payloads up to 10,000 kilograms for customers including NASA, NOAA, and various military branches.

The program aims to provide persistent detection and tracking capabilities across ocean areas where illicit maritime activity occurs. World View will begin operational support immediately, deploying balloon systems in the designated area of operations.