TED: Frontex Awards €184M Contract for Maritime Surveillance Drone Services

Frontex awarded two major contracts for Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) maritime surveillance services. Airbus DS Airborne Solutions GmbH and Leonardo S.p.A. each received contracts valued at €184.32 million under tender Frontex/2024/OP/0009. The contracts were published on January 17, 2025, as part of an open procurement procedure.

In this domain: Royal Netherlands Navy begins operating V-BAT autonomous ISR drone capable of GPS-denied and jammed-network missions · European Security & Defence: C-UAS options survey covering AI-driven interceptors and Poland’s $4.2 billion border system · EU invests €1.07bn in 57 EDF defence projects covering drone defence, AI and counter-UAS across 26 member states

The RPAS platforms will provide Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) capabilities for maritime surveillance across EU external borders. These unmanned systems will enhance Frontex’s ability to monitor migration flows, detect irregular border crossings, support search and rescue operations, and identify potential security threats in Mediterranean and other maritime border areas.

The deployment of advanced drone technology represents a significant investment in EU border security infrastructure, providing persistent aerial surveillance capabilities that complement crewed aircraft and vessel-based border control operations. The systems will integrate with Frontex’s existing border surveillance networks including EUROSUR (European Border Surveillance System).

Original source: TED / Frontex

Retrieved: 2025-12-02 | Language: EN | Reading time: 4 min read