The $4.2 billion program to create a next-generation, lighter-than-air surveillance balloon is up for competition among ten defense companies chosen by the US Army.
The 10-year project, known as the Persistent Surveillance System – Tethered (PSS-T), lists Raytheon, QinetiQ, Skyship Services, Advanced Technology Systems, and Thunderbolt as participants.
Leidos, Elevated Technologies, Mission Solutions Group, TCOM, and Tyonek Technical Services, each offering specialized skills in aerostat design, integration, and mission support, will join them.
In mid-2024, the army put out a request for PSS-T, looking for business solutions to improve continuous intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities in the face of shifting geopolitical risks.
The cost-plus-fixed-fee contract received a total of ten offers.
