DEA contract documents provide look inside Aviation Division

The mission of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is to enforce the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States and to bring to the criminal and civil justice systems those organizations and individuals involved in the growing, manufacturing, or distribution of controlled substances appearing in or destined for illicit traffic in the U.S. and its territories. The DEA's mission responsibilities are worldwide.

On Friday, the DEA released a Sources Sought contract document to find a contractor to handle maintenance on the agency's aircraft within the Aviation Division.

The Aviation Division’s role is to provide total aviation support to Field Divisions and other law enforcement agencies in all aspects of drug law enforcement. The provision of a total aviation support system will ensure that the security and integrity of all flight-related systems and support functions are maintained.

In addition to domestic operations, the DEA Aviation Division operates outside the United States in cooperation with individual host countries, and as such, conducts flight missions the nature of which vary from country to country.

Background

The Aviation Division’s mission includes, but is not limited to, aerial surveillance, intelligence gathering, flight training, special operations, cargo delivery, personnel transport, and administrative and maintenance operations.

“The DEA has no spare aircraft for mission support during maintenance events; therefore, timely inspections, modifications, overhauls, and accurate diagnosis and repair of discrepancies are critical,” the agency said in contract documents.

The Aviation Division has historically flown approximately 29,000 hours annually, made approximately 4,100 purchases for aircraft maintenance, training and support, and completed approximately 350 annual training events.

The Aviation Division has 139 Special Agent/Pilot “positions.” How many positions are actually filled varies from year to year.

The division has historically performed approximately 1,200 maintenance events each year on aircraft.

DEA assets include a variety of commercial aircraft consisting of single and twin-turbine rotorcraft, as well as, single and twin-engine piston, single and twin turboprop, and twin-engine jet fixed wing platforms, many of which are modified and equipped with state-of-the-art, highly sophisticated sensor equipment and designed to facilitate detection and apprehension of violators.

DEA aviation operations are primarily spontaneous on demand with few if any, regularly scheduled missions.

The Aviation Division currently has a fleet of 109 aircraft; comprised of 81 fixed-wing and 28 rotor-wing. The average age of this fleet is approximately 20 years old. The aircraft include but are not limited to, an ATR-42, Challenger 601, Learjet 60, Beechcraft King Air 350, Cessna 401, 206, 206S, 208, and 210, McDonnell Douglass MD500D/E, Bell 206L3 and 412 and Airbus/Eurocopter AS-350B2 helicopters.

Scope Of Work

The Aviation Division’s mission is to provide tactical, technical, and administrative aviation support to enhance and enable DEA’s worldwide mission. These capabilities are critical to the DEA’s strategic goal of disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking. Such support includes air and ground surveillance, maritime surveillance, electronic surveillance, photographic reconnaissance, undercover operations, marijuana eradication, prisoner transport, and special helicopter operations for DEA’s global enforcement operations.

List of Aviation Division Work Sites in the U.S.

TEXAS:

•Fort Worth Aviation Operations Center Heavy/Depot Level Aircraft, Component and Special Mission

• Conroe

CALIFORNIA:

• Long Beach

FLORIDA:

• Fort Lauderdale

NEW JERSEY:

• Fairfield

List of Aviation Division Work Sites in Foreign Locations

• COLOMBIA: Bogota

• PERU: Lima

• PUERTO RICO: San Juan