U.S. Customs and Border Protection extends TARS relationship with Peraton to support national security
HERNDON, VA — February 4, 2020 – Peraton has received a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS) contract, comprising one base with four option years, valued at up to $277.5M. The contract is a recompete that extends Peraton’s decade-plus legacy of providing operations and integrated logistics support for TARS.
TARS is an essential element of the Homeland Security Domain Awareness Network and a major contributor to successful law-enforcement operations along the United States-Mexico border and in the Florida Straits and a portion of the Caribbean to counter drug trafficking, human trafficking, and smuggling.
“Peraton is proud to continue to support DHS CBP in providing critical detection and monitoring services that enables the interdiction of smugglers and narcotics traffickers,” said John Coleman, president, Defense and Homeland Security sector. “Over more than 10 years working on TARS, we have honed our ability to maximize aerostat availability through effective logistics management, while implementing staffing efficiencies, integrating emerging technologies, and satisfying evolving mission demands. Peraton’s expertise continues to drive the strong customer partnerships that advance desired DHS CBP national security outcomes.”
Through the TARS contract, Peraton will continue to operate and maintain a series of airborne radar platforms and associated infrastructure to provide persistent, long-range detection and monitoring for interdicting low-level air, maritime and surface smugglers and narcotics traffickers.
Using tethered aerostats resembling blimps, TARS operators relay essential data to DHS that is used to closely monitor border activity. In addition, surveillance data is shared with the U.S. military and international law enforcement partners conducting related air surveillance and air sovereignty missions.
Peraton provides full support of the aerostats and associated support systems, radars, weather equipment, communications systems, winch systems, facilities, special-purpose vehicles, as well as TARS personnel. Through its quality systems and ISO-compliant processes, Peraton expertly handles everything from repairs and obsolescence planning to managing the supply chain for thousands of parts and associated pieces of equipment.
As a secondary mission, Peraton assists TARS in supporting USNORTHCOM and USSOUTHCOM air surveillance missions. TARS surveillance data also supports the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) air sovereignty mission for the continental United States.
Operational locations are in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, the Florida Keys and Puerto Rico, with support locations in Newport News, Virginia, and El Paso, Texas.
