TARS Long Range (EO/IR) Camera Purchase

Contract FA4890-11-P-0007 was awarded on May 25, 2011, by the Headquarters Air Combat Command Acquisition Management and Integration Center at Langley AFB, Virginia, to Controp USA, Inc. of Bethesda, Maryland. The contract, valued at 445,000.00 dollars, is for the purchase of TARS Long Range EO/IR Cameras with a required delivery date no later than August 31, 2011. The award was the result of a full and open competition with no set-aside, evaluated based on the lowest price. The procurement involved rigorous technical specifications to ensure the High Definition EO/IR systems met commercial industry standards and maintained interoperability with existing TARS equipment. Key requirements included a confirmed link distance of 36.2 km between the aerostat and ground station, 256-bit AES encryption, and strict latency limits. Additionally, the systems were required to be FCC-approved COTS equipment and adhere to specific wireless frequency bands to avoid electromagnetic interference with L-Band radar and other communication systems at sites in Texas.