The U.S. Government recently issued a Request for Information (RFI) regarding Multi-role Enforcement Aircraft (MEA) which could mean an order for up to 40 new surveillance aircraft for Textron.
While the RFI is only a beginning to a large process of procuring aircraft and the funding is still being hashed out, it could mean business for Textron’s Beechcraft KingAir assembled in Wichita, KS.
Ten KingAir aircraft have already been ordered previously as MEA’s, with seven in operation in San Diego, CA and Jacksonville, FL. The last three are pending delivery in 2014 and 2015.
It makes sense that Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) would order more of what they already know.
From the Wichita Eagle, chief operating officer and defense analyst Loren Thompson stated,
“When you’re equipping a fleet, it’s cheaper to buy a single type of aircraft. That way ordering spare parts and conducting maintenance is easier.”
According to the RFI, the request is to meet the CBP Office of Air and Marine’s (OAM) requirement for up to 50 MEA.
The request says the aircraft should be capable of “operating in diverse environments,” including the southwest border between the U.S. and Mexico, the southeast border and the northern border between the U.S. and Canada.
According to the request,
“In addition to surveillance, the MEA will serve as a force multiplier for law enforcement and emergency personnel by providing rapid-response deployment of equipment, canines, and people.”
The RFI comes at a time when large numbers of children coming from Mexico and Central America are trying to cross the border to the United States, which some are calling a humanitarian crisis. The request notes that the procured aircraft should be able to detect a target the size of a person from altitudes of 1,500 to 10,500 ft. above ground level.