Frontex Surveillance Aircraft Services with long range maritime surveillance fixed wing aircraft
Frontex seeks EU contractors to supply a comprehensive maritime surveillance service employing manned fixed‑wing aircraft capable of long‑range operations. The service must enable continuous aerial monitoring over the external maritime borders of the host country, with a minimum of two mission sorties per day and the ability to reach and patrol areas more than 401 nautical miles from the base airport. Each mission is required to last at least 2.5 hours within the 1 000–6 000‑foot altitude band at an average speed of 150 knots, and the aircraft must be able to maintain a total flight time of no less than six hours, excluding reserve fuel, while carrying at least two Frontex liaison officers aboard.
The contract covers the full operational lifecycle of the asset, including the provision of the aircraft, adequate crew and liaison officers, ground logistics, maintenance capability, and administrative responsibilities related to registration, certification, authorisations, and insurance. It also requires robust ground support infrastructure such as a hangar, parking, and fuel facilities, as well as the capacity to drop life‑rafts with a minimum of 10 passenger capacity each, sufficient to accommodate at least thirty people, and optionally life buoys broadcasting positions for 48 hours. Data transmission must be delivered via beyond‑line‑of‑sight broadband radio and satellite links with a minimum uplink speed of 512 kbps, ensuring near real‑time video streaming of electro‑optical/infrared imagery to the designated Operations Coordination Centre.
The aircraft must be fitted with an HD multi‑sensor electro‑optical/infrared camera for day and night operations, an Automatic Identification System receiver, an EASA‑certified weather detection and avoidance system, a dedicated maritime surveillance X‑band radar capable of tracking a minimum of 500 simultaneous targets, a global navigation satellite system receiver, and a satellite phone; anti‑jamming equipment is optional. The service contract spans an initial period of two years with an option for a further two years. The aircraft and crew should meet all specified technical standards, including real‑time data transmission and multimodal sensor integration.
