Frontex Surveillance Aircraft Services with long range maritime surveillance fixed wing aircraft

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) is announcing a public procurement contract for surveillance services involving unmanned fixed-wing aircraft. This opportunity is categorized under a framework agreement and is not a grant. The total value of the contract is €519 million, and the duration is 48 months, with potential extensions of 2 years each.

Eligible applicants are primarily EU Contractors, which means companies based in the EU are invited to apply, and it explicitly states that the opportunity is not suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Interested companies may include large defense and aerospace contractors or specialized consortiums capable of delivering comprehensive aerial surveillance services.

The tender focus is on security, border control, and maritime operations, requiring advanced operational capabilities including continuous flight support, maintenance, logistical infrastructure, and sophisticated surveillance technology. Contractors will need to provide assets capable of performing aerial surveillance missions over EU external maritime borders and potentially over third country waters and territories.

Key aircraft specifications include a range exceeding 401 nautical miles and the capability of conducting missions lasting at least 2.5 hours. Additionally, the aircraft must support the deployment of life rafts for emergency rescue scenarios and be equipped with various advanced sensors, such as HD imaging systems and maritime surveillance radar.

The application process is expected to involve electronic submission of proposals through an open call, with formal tender documentation published as a Prior Information Notice (PIN). The planned date for the tender closing is December 22, 2025. Importantly, there are no co-funding requirements for applicants under this public procurement model, which means Frontex will fully finance the contracted services.

Overall, this procurement contract reflects Frontex's strategic aim to enhance its maritime surveillance capabilities through advanced aerial technologies and the comprehensive operational infrastructure necessary for effective border control. Interested contractors should prepare to fulfill the rigorous demands of this significant tender opportunity, which has the potential to reshape border surveillance operations across EU maritime domains.

Frontex Surveillance Aircraft Services with long range maritime surveillance fixed wing aircraft. The procedure identifier is FRONTEX/2025/OP/0057-PIN. This is a planned call for tenders. The TED reference is 212/2025 727217-2025.

Frontex is seeking EU Contractors to provide a fully-fledged service using unmanned fixed wing aircraft for aerial surveillance over sea. The service includes: aircraft, a sufficient number of crew members (pilot, sensor operator, technician, etc.) to deliver a minimum of 2 flight missions per day without any limitation, a sufficient number of Liaison officer(s) in the assigned Operation Coordination Centre (Host MS ICC or Frontex HQ) during the entire deployment period working on tasks related to the flight from 60 minutes before take-off to 60 minutes after landing, maintenance capability, data transmission capability via BRLOS (including near real time video streaming of the EO/IR) to the Operation Coordination Centre, logistical infrastructure and ground support (e.g. hangar, parking place of the aircraft, fuel, etc.), administrative responsibility (management of any permissions related to registration, certification, transportation, deployment, authorizations, insurances, permissions to fly, etc.) to deliver aerial surveillance over the external maritime border of the Host Country, and the Contractor shall provide the collected data directly from the Asset to the designated Frontex Coordination Centre via BRLOS with a minimum uplink speed of 512 kbps.

The service is based on mission flights where the Asset, following Frontex instructions, surveys the Area of Interest, included in the Service Deployment Area, searching for ‘objects of interest’ mandated by Frontex Regulation, and passing surveillance data and information to the Operational Coordination Centre designated by Frontex.

Aircraft Requirements:
The aircraft must be able to reach the Area of Interest (surveillance area) located at a distance of more than 401NM from the Base Airport.
The aircraft must be able to deliver a minimum of 2.5 hours mission flight in the Area of Interest with an average speed of approximately 150 knots, between 1000 feet and 6000 feet and return back to the base airport.
The aircraft must be able to perform a total minimum of 6 hours of flight (excluding final reserve and contingency fuel) with 2 Frontex liaison officers on board in line with the requirements above, with the minimum mandatory Payload.
These missions may also take place over Third Country (TC) waters, TC land territory, as well as be operated from TC Base Airport.
The aircraft must have an approved life-raft drop capability (each life-raft has at least 10 PAX capacity, on board the total dropping capacity should secure enough life raft(s) for minimum 30 PAX). In case of activation of life-raft drop, the deployed aircraft can continue its mission flight (without an early landing), and after landing, the second mission flight with full operational configuration (including life rafts) may take place within 60 minutes.
The Contracting Authority will consider as an advantage the emergency broadcast system on the life raft 406 or 121.5 MHZ.
Optionally, the aircraft can have the drop capability of life buoys able to broadcast minimum their position for at least 48 hours.

Sensor Requirements:
The Contractor shall guarantee that the Asset is equipped with the following sensors:
HD multi-sensor Electro-Optical/ Infrared camera for day and night operations.
Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver.
Weather detection and avoidance system according to EASA and competent authorities’ prescriptions and certification requirements for the given type of Aircraft, in order to be able to perform all the type of flights requested by the prospective framework contract, following day and night IFR and VFR flight rules.
Dedicated Maritime Surveillance Radar: minimum requirement to operate in X band and track minimum 500 simultaneous targets.
Global navigation satellite system receiver.
(Optional) Anti-jamming equipment in GNSS denied environment.
Satellite phone.

The duration of the future FWC is 2+2 years. The procedure type is a planned call for tenders with OJ S publication. The estimated total value is 519000000 EUR. The TED publication date is 04/11/2025. The lead contracting authority is the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX). The main classification (CPV) is 60445000 - Aircraft operating services. The nature of the contract is services. The maximum contract duration is 48 months. This is a framework agreement with reopening of competition. The estimated date of publication of a contract notice is 22/12/2025.

A question was asked: Where can I find the procurement documents of this call for tenders? The answer is: The planned call for tenders announces the intention of the contracting authority to publish a future call for tenders. No other information or documents other than those published here are available. This question was published on 17/02/2024 00:54.

In summary, this is a pre-announcement of a major upcoming tender from Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency. They are seeking contractors to provide comprehensive aerial surveillance services using fixed-wing aircraft. This includes not only the aircraft themselves but also the crew, maintenance, logistical support, and data transmission capabilities. The aircraft must meet specific performance criteria, including range, endurance, and sensor capabilities. The estimated value of the framework agreement is substantial, at 519 million EUR, and the contract duration is up to 4 years. The actual call for tenders is expected to be published in late December 2025, so interested parties should monitor the official publications for further details. The key objective is to enhance Frontex's maritime border surveillance capabilities using advanced aerial assets and associated services.

Eligible Applicant Types: EU Contractors.

Funding Type: Procurement. This is a call for tenders, indicating a procurement process where Frontex seeks to purchase services. The nature of the contract is services.

Consortium Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if a single applicant is sufficient. However, given the scale and nature of the services required (aircraft, crew, maintenance, logistics, etc.), it is possible that a consortium might be advantageous or even necessary to fulfill all requirements.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): EU. Frontex is looking for EU Contractors. The service may take place over Third Country (TC) waters, TC land territory, as well as to be operated from TC Base Airport.

Target Sector: Security/Cybersecurity, Transport, Space. The tender focuses on aerial surveillance services, which falls under security, and involves aircraft, which falls under transport and space.

Mentioned Countries: Third Country (TC).

Project Stage: Commercialization. The call is for a fully-fledged service, implying that the project is at the commercialization stage, requiring operational deployment and service delivery.

Funding Amount: Over €5M. The estimated total value is 519,000,000 EUR.

Application Type: Planned call for tenders with OJ S publication.

Nature of Support: Non-monetary services. The selected contractor will receive payment for the services provided, but the core of the opportunity is the provision of aerial surveillance services, not direct financial support in the form of a grant.

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly mentioned, but a typical tender process involves multiple stages, including submission of a proposal, evaluation, and contract negotiation. It is likely to be at least 2 stages, possibly more.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The need for co-funding is not mentioned.

Summary:

This is a planned call for tenders by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) for "Frontex Surveillance Aircraft Services with long range maritime surveillance fixed wing aircraft." The procedure identifier is FRONTEX/2025/OP/0057-PIN. Frontex is seeking EU Contractors to provide a comprehensive aerial surveillance service using unmanned fixed wing aircraft over sea. The service includes providing the aircraft, a sufficient number of crew members, liaison officers, maintenance capability, data transmission capability via BRLOS, logistical infrastructure and ground support, and administrative responsibility for all necessary permissions and authorizations. The contractor must provide the collected data directly from the Asset to the designated Frontex Coordination Centre via BRLOS with a minimum uplink speed of 512 kbps.

The aircraft must be capable of reaching the Area of Interest located more than 401NM from the Base Airport, deliver a minimum of 2.5 hours of mission flight in the Area of Interest with an average speed of approximately 150 knots between 1000 and 6000 feet, and perform a total minimum of 6 hours of flight with 2 Frontex liaison officers on board. Missions may take place over Third Country waters, land territory, and be operated from Third Country Base Airports. The aircraft should have life-raft drop capability (minimum 30 PAX capacity) and optionally, life buoy drop capability.

Mandatory sensors include an HD multi-sensor Electro-Optical/Infrared camera, Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver, weather detection and avoidance system, dedicated Maritime Surveillance Radar (X band, minimum 500 simultaneous targets), Global navigation satellite system receiver, and a satellite phone. Anti-jamming equipment in GNSS denied environments is optional.

The duration of the future Framework Contract (FWC) is 2+2 years, with a maximum contract duration of 48 months. The procedure type is a planned call for tenders with OJ S publication. The estimated total value is 519,000,000 EUR. The TED publication date is 04/11/2025, and the estimated date of publication of a contract notice is 22/12/2025. The main classification (CPV) is 60445000 - Aircraft operating services. The framework agreement involves a reopening of competition.