Request for Information by National Police Air Service (NPAS)

BlueLight Commercial are delighted to be supporting the National Police Air Service (NPAS) in issuing the RFI documents in order to better understand the market and determine the products and technological capabilities which are currently available for:

• A satellite communication system for use on board small to medium sized drones (up to 200kg mtow)
• A Detect and Avoid (DAA) system for use on board small to medium sized drones (up to 200kg mtow)

These form part of the long term activities which NPAS are undertaking to explore the possible use of beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drones to form part of its future blended fleet. NPAS provides a borderless service with a fleet of helicopters (and, in the coming months, aeroplanes) flying from a network of bases.

NPAS carries out a variety of tasks for police forces, such as searching for high risk missing people, injured people and for people where there is a serious concern for their safety and wellbeing. Common tasks also include searching for suspects, managing vehicle pursuits from the air and assisting with counter terrorism and specialist firearms operations. In time-critical searches, such as that of a high risk missing adult or child, the time saved in locating people can literally mean the difference between life and death.

Further outline technical requirements/parameters can be found via the links below to the EU Supply Portal.

The closing date for the RFIs is 4^th February 2022 (noon)

Public Quote/Tender - Request for Information / Soft Market Engagement for Airborne Satellite Communication System for Small/ Medium sized RPAS (eu-supply.com)

Public Quote/Tender - Request for Information / Soft Market Engagement for: Airborne Detect and Avoid System for Small/ Medium sized RPAS (eu-supply.com)