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

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) is procuring a Framework Contract with Re-opening of Competition for long-range manned fixed-wing maritime surveillance services, estimated at €522.6 million for an initial 24 months plus a 24-month option. Contractors must provide turnkey services including aircraft, crew, maintenance, logistics, administrative authorisations and BRLOS data links with minimum 512 kbps uplink, and assets capable of reaching Areas of Interest more than 401 nautical miles from base with at least 2.5 hours on station and six hours total flight time per mission. The service requires a minimum of two flight missions per day, HD EO/IR sensors, AIS, dedicated X-band maritime radar, approved life-raft drop capability for at least 30 persons and compliance with EASA and data protection obligations. Tenders must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 16:00:59 CET on 03 August 2026.

Who can apply

Eligible bidders

Open to contractors established in the EU capable of providing a manned fixed wing maritime surveillance service (aircraft, crew, maintenance, ground support, data links and administrative authorisations).

What is procured:A framework contract for mission-based aerial surveillance over external maritime borders using long-range manned fixed wing aircraft delivering at least two missions per day, near real-time EO/IR video via BRLOS, drop capability for life-rafts (minimum 30 PAX total capacity), maritime radar and other sensors. ¹

1. 1Contracting authority: European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX).
2. 2Contract type: Framework contract (initial 24 months + 1 renewal option of 24 months).
3. 3Estimated total contract value: €522,600,000.
4. 4Submission deadline: 3 August 2026 (16:00:59 local time).
5. 5Minimum aircraft performance highlights: reach surveillance area >401 NM from base, perform >=2.5 hours on-station at ~150 knots, total flight endurance >=6 hours with two Frontex liaison officers on board.
6. 6Mandatory capabilities: HD EO/IR multi-sensor, AIS receiver, X-band maritime radar (track >=500 targets), GNSS receiver, BRLOS uplink >=512 kbps, weather detection/avoidance per EASA, satellite phone; optional anti-jamming and life-buoy broadcasting.

Bidders must provide full operational service (airframe, qualified crew and liaison officers, maintenance, hangar and fuel, permissions and insurances) and guarantee data transmission and information flow to Frontex operational centres. Missions may operate over third country territory and from third country bases where required.

Footnotes

1. 1Full procurement documents and submission details available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Tender details.

Opportunity summary and purpose

Frontex (European Border and Coast Guard Agency) invites tenders for a framework contract to provide a fully-fledged manned fixed wing aircraft service for long range maritime aerial surveillance over external maritime borders. The service is mission-driven: assets will follow Frontex instructions to survey Areas of Interest, detect and monitor objects of interest and pass surveillance data and information in near real time to the designated Operational Coordination Centre via BRLOS. The future framework contract duration is 24 months with one optional 24-month renewal (2+2 years). The call identifier is FRONTEX/2025/OP/0057 and the estimated overall contract amount is €522,600,000. Key submission deadlines are included below.

Key deadlines:Published: 2026-06-25. Tender closing / final submission deadline: 2026-08-03 16:00:59 (Europe/Warsaw). An earlier date 2026-01-01 14:00:59 appears in some metadata but the official portal publication and closing date are 25/06/2026 and 03/08/2026 respectively. See procurement documents for clarification Frontex Tender Notice ¹

Detailed service and technical requirements

Frontex requires contractors to deliver a complete operational service including aircraft, crews, liaison officers, maintenance, logistics, data transmission, and administrative management to enable aerial surveillance missions over Host Member State external maritime borders and, where required, Third Country waters and territories. Missions are executed on Frontex tasking and include near real time transmission of EO/IR video and surveillance data via BRLOS to Frontex coordination centres.

1. 1Core service components required: aircraft; sufficient crew (pilots, sensor operators, technicians) to perform minimum two flight missions per day without limitation; liaison officers assigned to Operation Coordination Centre working from 60 minutes before take-off until 60 minutes after landing; maintenance capability; BRLOS data transmission including near real time EO/IR video streaming; logistical infrastructure and ground support (hangar, parking, fuel etc.); administrative management of permissions, registrations, insurances and authorisations required to operate over Host Country and Third Country areas.
2. 2Flight performance and endurance requirements: aircraft must be capable of reaching an Area of Interest located more than 401 nautical miles (NM) from the Base Airport; deliver a minimum 2.5-hour mission on station in the Area of Interest at an average speed of approximately 150 knots while operating between 1,000 and 6,000 feet, and return to base; perform a minimum total of 6 hours of flight (excluding final reserve and contingency fuel) with 2 Frontex liaison officers on board and with minimum mandatory payload.
3. 3Survival equipment and deployment resilience: aircraft must have approved life-raft drop capability. Each life-raft must hold at least 10 persons, total dropping capacity must cover at least 30 persons. After a life-raft drop activation, the aircraft must be able to continue its mission without early landing; after landing the second mission with full operational configuration (including life rafts) must be possible within 60 minutes. Advantageous features include emergency broadcast system on life-raft at 406 MHz or 121.5 MHz. Optional capability: life-buoy drop with at least 48-hour position broadcasting.
4. 4Operational theatres: missions may be conducted over Third Country waters and territories and may be operated from Third Country base airports when required and legally authorised.

Sensor, avionics and communications mandatory requirements

The Contractor must guarantee the Asset is equipped with the following sensors, navigation and communications equipment to meet operational requirements and safety/certification regimes.

Procurement structure, estimated value and contract model

The procurement is a framework contract (FAWR) for services with an initial duration of 24 months renewable once for a further 24 months. The contracting authority is the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX). The estimated overall contract amount is €522,600,000. The procurement project is published as LOT-0001 and the main CPV is 60445000 (aircraft operation services).

Estimated procedure value:Estimated overall contract amount: €522,600,000 (portal metadata).

Who can apply and eligibility

Eligible applicants are economic operators able to carry out aircraft-based maritime surveillance services and to assume administrative responsibility for permissions and authorisations required by Host States and Third Countries. The procurement is published by an EU agency and references EU contractors; therefore participation follows public procurement rules and submission through the Funding & Tenders Portal (electronic submission).

1. 1Eligible applicant types (detailed): national or international companies providing aircraft operations and maritime surveillance services, including airlines/aircraft operators, air services providers, defence aerospace contractors offering leased crewed aircraft and integrated mission systems, specialised maritime surveillance operators, and consortia led by a contracting air operator. Subcontractors such as sensor integrators, satellite/BGAN providers, maintenance organisations (AMO/Part-145 approved) and logistic ground handlers may be proposed but the tenderer must accept administrative responsibility.
2. 2Ineligible or restricted aspects: small single-person applicants or entities without ability to operate and register aircraft and obtain necessary flight permissions, or without required crew and maintenance certifications, will be unable to meet selection and technical requirements. The procurement documents should be consulted for exhaustive selection criteria and exclusion grounds.

Geographic eligibility:The contracting authority seeks EU Contractors. Missions may occur over Third Country waters and territories and operate from Third Country base airports, but the tender is published under EU procurement rules and Frontex requests EU-based contractors or contractors eligible under the procurement documentation to perform services in and for EU Host Member States and Frontex.

Tendering, submission and evaluation

Submission is electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission required). The tender process includes formal selection criteria, technical compliance checklists, test/proof of capabilities and a financial offer. Award criteria combine quality and price with weights indicated in procurement documents (quality 60%, price 40% as per published tender metadata). An open tender event is scheduled; an online opening was recorded on 2026-08-04.

1. 1Application type: open call / competitive public tender published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (electronic submission mandatory).
2. 2Submission method: ESUBMISSION via the Portal. Required forms and annexes are provided as Annexes in the procurement dossier (Invitation to tender, draft FWC, Tender specifications, Terms of Reference, Financial Proposal, Service Reply Form, List of Personnel, Test Protocol Form, Statement of Compliance, SLA, Data Processing Agreement, etc.).
3. 3Award criteria weights: quality 60% and price 40% (consult procurement documents for breakdown of quality sub-criteria and scoring).
4. 4Evaluation stages: At least two main stages are expected: administrative/selection compliance and technical/quality evaluation followed by financial evaluation and award decision. Additional test/demonstration or site acceptance trials may be required as per Test Protocol Form annex.

Application documentation and templates

The tender dossier on the portal contains comprehensive annexes with mandatory templates and checklists. Bidders must complete and submit the specified annexes and templates to be considered. Key documents available include the Invitation to Tender, Annex I Tender Specifications, Annex II Terms of Reference, Annex IV Financial Proposal spreadsheet, Annex II Appendix 1 Technical requirements compliance and checklist, Annex II Appendix 3 Service Reply Form, Annex II Appendix 4 List of Personnel, Annex II Appendix 8 Test Protocol, Annex V Declaration on honour, Annex VI Tender Submission Form, Annex VII Power of Attorney letter, Annex IX Fundamental Rights Commitment, Annex II Appendix 6 Data Processing Agreement, Annex II Appendix 7 Service Level Agreement, Non-Disclosure Agreement, Privacy Notices and draft Framework Contract text and VAT annex.

1. 1Templates and forms bidders must complete: Annex IV Financial Proposal (Excel), Annex II Appendix 1 Technical compliance checklist (Excel), Annex II Appendix 3 Service Reply Form (DOCX), Annex II Appendix 4 List of Personnel (Excel), Annex II Appendix 8 Test Protocol Form (DOCX), Annex VI Tender Submission Form (DOCX), Annex V Declaration on honour (DOCX), Annex IX Commitment Letter Fundamental Rights (DOCX), Annex II Appendix 10 Statement of Compliance with Code of Conduct (DOCX), Annex II Appendix 6 Data Processing Agreement (PDF to be accepted).
2. 2Draft contract and associated annexes: Annex III draft FWC (PDF), Annex V to draft FWC VAT (DOCX), Annex III to draft FWC Privacy Notice and other contractual annexes.
3. 3Mandatory completion: technical compliance must be demonstrated against the Technical requirements compliance and checklist and Tender specifications. Bidders must provide evidence of aircraft capability, sensor specifications, maintenance approvals, crew licences, insurance and administrative capacity to obtain permissions in host and Third Countries.

Selection and award specifics

Frontex uses standard procurement selection criteria and exclusion grounds; detailed thresholds, documentary evidence and minimum turnover or experience requirements appear in the procurement documents and technical checklists. The awarding balances technical quality and price. Tender validity period is 6 months as per lot metadata. Electronic ordering and payment will be used under post-award processes.

1. 1Consortium requirement: procurement allows tenderers (including consortia) but the tenderer nominated as contractor must hold administrative responsibility and meet selection criteria. The procurement documents specify requirements for subcontracting and power of attorney letters.
2. 2Co-funding: not applicable in the classical grant sense. This is a service procurement; bidders bid prices to deliver services and receive payment under the contract. No co-funding requirement is stated.
3. 3Success rate: no published success rate. As a competitive open tender, success depends on meeting mandatory technical requirements and achieving the best combined quality/price score (quality 60%, price 40%).

Operational, legal and compliance obligations

Bidders must comply with Frontex Code of Conduct, Fundamental Rights commitments, privacy and data protection rules, and the draft framework contract provisions. Data handling, sharing and BRLOS interfaces must follow the Data Processing Agreement and Information Management requirements annex. Insurance, aviation certifications, airworthiness and approvals for life-raft and drop operations must meet host state and EASA or competent authority rules. Missions over Third Country territories require legal authorisations; the contractor must manage administrative permissions and be able to operate under IFR and VFR day/night rules as required.

What applicants need to prepare and submit

Bidders should prepare full technical compliance documentation, completed annex templates, financial proposal spreadsheet, declarations and attestations, personnel lists with qualifications, evidence of aircraft and sensor capabilities, maintenance approvals, insurance certificates, and a plan for logistics and base support. Bidders should review the Test Protocol and be prepared for on-site or on-aircraft demonstration/testing if requested. Submission must be made electronically before the deadline using the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission tool.

1. 1Complete Annex IV Financial Proposal (Excel).
2. 2Complete Annex II Appendix 1 Technical requirements compliance and checklist (Excel).
3. 3Complete Annex II Appendix 3 Service Reply Form and Annex II Appendix 4 List of Personnel.
4. 4Attach copies of aircraft registration, air operator certificate (AOC) or equivalent, Part-145/AMO approvals, crew licences, insurance and proof of maintenance capability.
5. 5Provide documentation showing BRLOS capability and test evidence of minimum 512 kbps uplink and EO/IR streaming.
6. 6Provide evidence of life-raft drop capability and associated certification and safety approvals.
7. 7Complete administrative declarations: Annex V Declaration on honour, Annex IX Fundamental Rights Commitment, non-disclosure/confidentiality forms and power of attorney where applicable.

Categorisation answers (structured)

Eligible Applicant Types:startups are unlikely to meet capacity; primary eligible types include SMEs (if they operate aircraft and meet certifications), large enterprises (air operators, aerospace contractors), airlines/aircraft operators, maintenance organisations, research institutes only as subcontractors, nonprofits/NGOs not typical bidders, government entities or state operators may bid if meeting procurement terms, public-private partnerships and consortia where the lead operator accepts administrative responsibility; individual applicants are not suitable. The procurement allows consortia but the lead tenderer must assume contractual responsibility.

Funding Type:procurement / tender for a service contract (framework agreement). This is not a grant, loan or equity instrument.

Consortium Requirement:consortium or single tenderer allowed; procurement documents require the tenderer to demonstrate full compliance and administrative responsibility. Subcontracting is permitted within rules; credentials of all partners/subcontractors must be supplied.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):EU Contractors (i.e. entities eligible under EU procurement rules) are targeted. Missions may operate in Third Countries but the contracting party should be compliant with EU/FRONTEX contracting rules and able to obtain permissions for Third Country operations.

Target Sector:transport and specialised aviation services, security and border surveillance, maritime surveillance, defence-related aviation services, ICT for BRLOS and EO/IR data transmission, sensors and remote sensing.

Mentioned Countries:explicit countries are not named in the tender text. The contracting authority is Frontex (EU agency). Missions may be conducted over Third Countries; Host Member States and Frontex HQ / Host MS ICC are referenced. Regionally this targets EU Member States and adjacent Third Countries where operations may occur.

Project Stage:operational deployment and service delivery (demonstration/operational stage). The contractor must already operate certified aircraft and sensors (mature operational capability required).

Funding Amount:estimated overall contract amount €522,600,000 (total over the expected framework duration and options). Individual lot or call hourly/daily rates will be specified in financial proposal templates.

Application Type:open public tender by Frontex, electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission).

Nature of Support:commercial service contract. Beneficiaries (contractor) will receive monetary remuneration under the contract for delivered services; this is not a grant but a paid procurement contract.

Application Stages:multiple stages implied — at minimum (1) administrative and exclusion/selection check, (2) technical/quality evaluation and compliance check (including checklists and possible test protocol), (3) financial evaluation and award. Additional post-award contracting and mobilisation phases follow award.

Success Rates:not published. As a competitive public tender, success depends on meeting mandatory technical compliance and obtaining the highest combined quality and price score; expected success rate is small relative to bidders but no numerical rate is provided.

Co-funding Requirement:not applicable. This is a paid service procurement; bidders propose prices for services. No co-funding from the bidder is required, but contractors must fund mobilisation and operations until payments under the contract are made as per contract terms.

How to get the documents and where to apply

All tender documents, templates and annexes are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal under the tender reference FRONTEX/2025/OP/0057. Required annexes include technical checklists, the financial proposal spreadsheet, draft framework contract and numerous compliance declarations. Submission must be electronic through the portal. Bidders should consult all annexes and the draft FWC carefully before preparing the submission Tender documents and portal.

Concluding summary

This Frontex procurement is a high-value framework contract for operational long-range maritime surveillance using crewed fixed-wing aircraft. The contract requires fully operational aircraft with specific endurance and payload capabilities, comprehensive mission sensors (HD EO/IR, X-band maritime radar, AIS, GNSS), BRLOS data uplink with minimum 512 kbps, life-raft drop capability, maintenance and logistical support, and the administrative capacity to secure flight permissions and operate in Host Member States and potentially Third Countries. Bidders must be experienced, certified air operators able to deploy liaison officers to Frontex or Host MS coordination centres, provide continuous mission flights (minimum two missions/day), and meet strict technical, legal and data-protection obligations. The procurement is conducted as an open electronic tender on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; evaluation will be based on quality (60) and price (40). Estimated total contract value is €522.6 million over the contract lifecycle (initial 24 months plus a possible 24-month renewal). Interested operators should consult and complete the provided annex templates and submit via the Portal before the deadline. The procurement dossier contains all templates and test/proof requirements necessary to prepare a compliant bid.

Footnotes

1. 1Primary portal listing and procurement dossier are available at the EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page: ec.europa.eu. All annexes referenced in this summary are included in the tender documents section of that page.

Key Opportunity Details

This is a major EU Framework Contract with Re-opening of Competition (FWC) for long-range maritime surveillance using manned fixed-wing aircraft, issued by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) ¹. The estimated total contract value is approximately €522.6 million, with a duration of 2 years initial plus 2 years optional renewal ².

Submission Deadline:Tenders must be submitted by 16:00:59 CET on 03 August 2026 ³.

Contract Type:Framework Contract with Re-opening of Competition (FWC), Open Procedure ⁴.

Who Should Apply

Ideal applicants include established aviation operators, Integrated Surveillance (ISR) providers, and aerospace companies capable of delivering a turnkey service including aircraft, crew, maintenance, and data links ⁵. The tender explicitly requires EU contractors with the capacity to manage administrative responsibilities, certifications, and insurance for operations over external maritime borders and third-country territories ⁶.

1. 1Aviation operators with long-range fixed-wing maritime assets
2. 2ISR and defense technology providers with sensor integration expertise
3. 3Companies capable of delivering full operational support (crew, logistics, maintenance)
4. 4Firms with experience in BRLOS data transmission and real-time video streaming

Technical Requirements & Service Scope

Contractors must provide a fully-fledged service including manned fixed-wing aircraft capable of reaching an Area of Interest (AoI) more than 401 NM from the base airport, delivering at least 2.5 hours of on-station time, and performing a total minimum of 6 hours of flight time per mission ⁷. The service must support a minimum of 2 flight missions per day without limitation ⁸.

Award Criteria & Selection

The award will be based on quality (60% weight) and price (40% weight), with quality focusing on technical merit, operational capability, and service level ⁹. FRONTEX intends to award the framework contract to a maximum of six contractors per lot, subject to sufficient qualified economic operators ¹⁰.

Advantageous Features:Emergency broadcast systems on life rafts (406 or 121.5 MHz) and optional life buoys broadcasting position for 48+ hours are considered advantageous ¹¹.

How to Participate

All submissions must be made electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal ¹². Interested parties must download the full tender specifications (Annex I), Terms of Reference (Annex II), and draft contract (Annex III) from the official portal page ¹³.

Footnotes

1. 1Official Tender Details: EU Funding Portal - Frontex Surveillance Aircraft
2. 2Estimated Contract Value: €522,600,000 (Source: EU Tender Database)
3. 3Deadline Date: 03 August 2026, 16:00:59 CET (Source: EU Tender Database)
4. 4Procedure Type: Open Procedure, Framework Contract with Re-opening of Competition (Source: EU Tender Database)
5. 5LinkedIn Prior Information Notice (PIN) Summary: LinkedIn - Frontex PIN for Maritime Surveillance
6. 6Administrative Responsibility: Management of permissions, certifications, insurance, and authorizations for external border operations (Source: Tender Specifications Annex I)
7. 7Flight Performance: >401 NM reach, 2.5h on-station, 6h total flight time (Source: Terms of Reference Annex II)
8. 8Mission Frequency: Minimum 2 flight missions per day without limitation (Source: Tender Description)
9. 9Award Criteria: Quality 60%, Price 40% (Source: EU Tender Database - Awarding Terms)
10. 10Maximum Contractors: Up to 6 per lot (Source: Tender Specifications Annex I)
11. 11Advantageous Features: Life raft emergency broadcast (406/121.5 MHz) and life buoys (Source: Tender Description)
12. 12Submission Method: Electronic Submission via EU Funding & Tenders Portal (Source: EU Tender Database)
13. 13Procurement Documents: Annex I (Specifications), Annex II (Terms of Reference), Annex III (Draft Contract) available on the official portal