Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to procure airship flight services to support Radar Flight Trials over a two-year period. The services aim to facilitate functional and performance verification testing of airborne radar sensors in a low-risk environment, enabling evaluation and demonstration of radar sensor performance using airship technology.

Scope

The scope includes:

• Provision of airship flight services on an “as-required” basis over two years.
• Design, manufacture, and mounting interface for radar payloads on the airship.
• Flight safety verification and demonstration with dummy payloads.
• Verification testing of communication interfaces and installation of radar sensors, batteries, and related equipment on the airship.
• Execution of a 3-day measurement campaign with licensed pilots and personnel, including various flight patterns such as linear target flights.
• Selection of test sites with radar coverage of features like train tracks, roads, agricultural areas, and mountainous terrain within 5 km.

Technical Requirements

The airship services must meet the following minimum specifications:

• Payload capacity of at least 25 kg.
• Operational altitude of at least 200 m above ground level.
• Wind survivability up to 20 knots.
• Flight path repeatability within specified tolerances.
• Data link speed of at least 40 Mbps in visual range.
• Ground station with directional antenna following the airship.
• Radios operating outside the 5-6 GHz radar frequency range to avoid interference.
• Safety certification and SACAA ROC registration.
• Ability to survive wind speeds up to 20 knots and operate reliably under specified conditions.

Skills Requirements

The successful bidder must demonstrate:

• Provision of a suitable, safety-certified airship infrastructure.
• Availability of a licensed remote pilot with experience in flying airships (minimum 2 years experience).
• Experience in deploying and operating airship technology (minimum 2 years).
• Provision of contactable references for similar services.
• Certification and registration with SACAA for safety compliance.
• Capability to design and manufacture payload mounting interfaces.
• Qualified personnel for flight safety verification, radar installation, and operation during measurement campaigns.