Swiss weather intelligence firm Meteomatics unveiled a new meteorological drone named Strato on October 8, 2026. It is a small multicopter drone capable of climbing to altitudes of up to 4,245 feet (10,438 meters) to collect meteorological data in the upper troposphere.
Strato is engineered to withstand rough conditions at high altitudes. It is waterproof, can withstand sustained winds up to 80 mph, and actively orient itself into headwinds. It is fitted with a heating system to prevent the icing of the rotors.
With this drone, Meteomatics aims to fill a gap in meteorological data collection between ground-based stations and meteorological balloons. The data is used in the firm's ultra-granular weather forecasts, which in most of Europe and North America can be for an area as precise as 1 square km.
According to co-founder and CEO Martin Fengler, the company has around 800 customers using its weather forecasts as of early October 2026.
