Coastal Maritime ISR Service

2026-11-03

Maritime security is a key enabler to UK, Crown Dependency, and British Overseas Territories Security. Border Security Command (BSC) is seeking to procure a maritime situational awareness system that meets the requirements of the Joint Maritime Security Centre (JMSC) and the Border Security Command Maritime - Channel Operations team. The maritime environment is important both internationally and domestically, impacting the resilience of the UK and our global influence. It is a critical sector for prosperity and security. To deliver maritime security, the UK needs full persistent surveillance capability with the ability to detect non-cooperative-reporting vessels throughout the UK Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), including British Overseas Territories (BOT). Please note, two separate market engagement events have been held for this requirement previously. Please refer to the engagment section for links to the previous notices. A decision has been made to join the two requirements Land-Based ISR and Common Operating Picture and JMSC Mobile Maritime Domain Awareness Service into one single procurement (Coastal Maritime ISR Service). This procurement will strengthen the UK’s response to clandestine entry and wider maritime security by delivering a scalable, managed service that provides enhanced domain awareness and supports operational decision-making. The solution will autonomously detect, track, and identify small boats and non-cooperative vessels at range, fusing data from land-based and Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) sources with existing platforms. It will integrate AIS, radar, and EO/IR sensors to deliver Tracks as a Service (TKaaS) in near real-time via API to the Royal Navy Maritime Domain Awareness Programme (MDAP) and connect to the Home Office TAK server for a common operating picture accessible to key decision-makers and first responders. A supplier portal will provide camera feeds, alternative track displays, and alerts, ensuring flexibility to meet short-notice operational requirements across the UK, Crown Dependencies, and British Overseas Territories. Suppliers will be responsible for owning, siting, installing, securing, and operating any hardware in the UK or overseas to provide maritime tracks from selected areas to Border Security Command. The current operational tempo assumes a requirement for 24/7/365 service availability. Suppliers will need to ensure the system is supported with sufficient personnel and process to resolve any issues promptly. The Supplier solution must : Respond to asking and provide persistent maritime surveillance of an Area of Interest (AOI) within the UK marine area (and UK Overseas/Dependent Territories). Provide active surveillance feeds across multiple concurrent AOIs around the UK coast delivering tracks as a service. Provide services that will enable/assist in the detection of both cooperative and non‑cooperative‑reporting vessels typically within UK Territorial Waters (TTWs). The solution primarily covers the UK, territorial waters, and BOTs when required. This solution will need to respond to any emerging areas of interest both in the UK and BOT. Additionally, the service is to provide autonomous domain awareness in a designated high‑priority maritime corridor within UK waters, as directed, to Border Security Command. The solution must achieve full operational capability within six months of contract award. An interim capability may be acceptable, provided it delivers a minimum viable product agreed with the Home Office, with additional functionality introduced incrementally. The system will utilise a network of existing and additional sensors to autonomously detect, track, classify, and identify small boats at range. Sensor data must be fused with information from existing platforms and presented to end‑users via a web interface and integrated with the Home Office TAK server to provide a common operating picture. Fusion nodes should enable near real‑time decision‑making, creating a cohesive and interoperable system that enhances situational awareness and operational flexibility. The expected duration of this contract is between three and five years, including any extension periods, with an estimated total value of up to approximately £100 million for the full five‑year term. The value of the contract includes flexibility to allow for any known areas of interest during the contract term that wasn't known at the start of the contract.

United Kingdom (UK)

2026-04-02