Request for Information (RFI)- Aerostat Envelope

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is issuing a Request for Information and Sources Sought notice on the Class IV 275K Aerostat Envelope (PN 275-10001-04) by September 1, 2026, to conduct market research on qualified sources, manufacturing capabilities, and pricing for potential future procurement of one or more units for the Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS). This is an information-gathering exercise and does not constitute a binding commitment to contract.

Place of performance is Cudjoe Key, Florida, where CBP operates an existing TARS site. The envelope must achieve 275,000 cubic feet displacement (186.5 feet length by 62.5 feet diameter) and provide useful payload lift of 1,000 to 1,300 pounds at launch altitude. The system shall operate continuously at 10,000 to 12,000 feet mean sea level with minimum 14-day station endurance, sustain continuous operation in winds up to 65 knots, and survive moored conditions in winds up to 90 knots. The envelope construction must use multi-layer engineering laminates with outer environmental barrier, structural load-bearing weave, and high-retention gas barrier, engineered to resist extreme UV degradation, acid rain, fungus, and moisture. The envelope must maintain full compatibility with existing infrastructure—mooring tower, mooring cone, mooring rails and dolly, winch truck system, pad configuration, and L-88V3 radar payload—with no modifications permitted.

Respondents must provide company profile, business classification, manufacturing capabilities, past aerostat contract experience, production location, lead time in calendar days, and unit pricing in responses not exceeding five pages, submitted by September 1, 2026 to Leslie L. Lozano, Contract Specialist, at LESLIE.LOZANO@cbp.dhs.gov. CBP does not own the design, drawings, or data rights to the existing aerostat.