Pilot Project for services of tactical land border and coastal surveillance with Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), long endurance and reduced logistic footprint

In October 2020, Frontex awarded a contract to Airbus Defence and Space Airborne Solutions and Israel Aerospace Industries to operate a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) remotely piloted aircraft system for maritime aerial surveillance across Greece, Italy, and/or Malta. The service includes provision of a Heron RPAS platform equipped with electro-optical, infrared, maritime patrol radar, and automatic identification system payloads, along with ground control stations and operational support. The contract followed successful trials demonstrating the benefits of unmanned systems for precise, long-endurance surveillance of European borders and coastlines.