ALTAEROS AWARDED SECOND YEAR CONTRACT FROM DHS/CBP FOR AEROSTAT OPERATIONS TO INCREASE BORDER SECURITY
Altaeros’ contract was renewed after successful operation during the first year of aerostat deployment in Santa Teresa.
Santa Teresa, New Mexico, USA, October 29, 2025 – Autonomous aerostat innovator Altaeros announced a follow-on contract for aerostat support, services, and sparing for a second year in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, after successfully deploying an ST-Flex aerostat in September 2024 to support critical border missions for the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Santa Teresa is a dangerous smuggling corridor on the US Southern border; however, due to its high altitude and harsh desert weather conditions, it is difficult to deploy persistent systems and traditional, non-autonomous aerostats at that location. Altaeros aerostats handle harsh weather conditions by utilizing an autonomous control system, Aerostat Autopilot™, to maintain active flight control when high winds and other severe weather events occur. During its first year of operation in Santa Teresa, the ST-Flex demonstrated operational availability and harsh weather survivability above and beyond what has been achieved by legacy aerostat systems.
“Santa Teresa is the most challenging environment an aerostat has been deployed in, to date. The site is located at a high altitude with hot, dry, and exceptionally windy conditions, including frequent dust storms,” said Altaeros CEO Ben Glass, “We are incredibly proud of ST-Flex’s performance over the last year.”
ST-Flex carries up to 130 lbs (60 kg) of payload at heights up to 1,000 feet (305 m) above ground. The modular payload bay is sensor and communications agnostic, supporting a range of payloads including: ISR, Radar, Narrow-Field EO/IR, SIGINT, cUAS, Communications relays, 4G/5G, and more in support of border security.
This contract was awarded under Altaeros’ existing 5-Year, $99M Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract that was awarded by the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection in 2023.
About Altaeros
Altaeros is the world’s premier autonomous aerostat innovator. Altaeros’ patented autonomous control system, Aerostat Autopilot™, eliminates the need for a traditional ground crew to perform all day-to-day aerostat operations including launching, landing, and ongoing flight operation. Eliminating the ground crew extends mission availability in challenging wind conditions, while simplifying logistics and operations.
Altaeros is headquartered in Fremont, New Hampshire. All Altaeros aerostats are assembled in the USA.
Visit our website: www.altaeros.com
Altaeros Media Contact
Elise Niman