Red Cat’s next generation Teal system will be the Army’s Program of Record SRR sUAS, concluding the rigorous, multi-tranche competitive process.
Red Cat Holdings, an American drone technology company, has been selected as the winner of the U.S. Army’s Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) Program of Record. The production selection was made after a test and evaluation process of Teal’s next generation sUAS, completed by the Army Project Management Office for Uncrewed Aircraft Systems, Army Maneuver Battle Lab, Army Test and Evaluation Command, and Army Operational Test Center.
“This is a powerful moment in time, coming after five years of blood, sweat, and tears put into SRR by our incredible team. The long-awaited production selection marks a new era for our company and the future of American drones,” said George Matus, founder of Teal and CTO of Red Cat. “We were selected based on soldier feedback, technical performance, volume manufacturability, and system cost. Our top priority now is to start ramping production of the next generation system, recently announced as the Black Widow and WEB, and give warfighters the tools they need to be successful on the modern battlefield.”
“Warfare has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past two years, with a significant shift towards drone technology, exemplified by the SRR Black Widow. It is an honor to support the U.S. Army by delivering the Black Widow to our warfighters. We believe this advanced technology will enable the Army to shape the battlefield, save soldiers’ lives, and serve as a powerful tool in their arsenal,” said Jeff Thompson, CEO of Red Cat. “This long-term contract will give us the capability to continue to improve the Black Widow, scale production and improve margins.”
“Both the operational and tactical levels of war and maneuver of combat elements have evolved significantly over the past couple of years,” said Paul Edward Funk II, retired Four-Star Army General and Red Cat board member. “Operational success today depends on the ability to seamlessly move data across the battlefield. From a tactical perspective, small unmanned aerial systems that are rucksack portable are playing a vital role in Intelligence Surveillance & Reconnaissance, as well as surgical strike capabilities based on the real-time needs of the warfighter.”
The SRR contract selection builds on significant momentum for Red Cat, with the acquisition of FlightWave Aerospace, the announcement of the ARACHNID family of systems, and the creation of the Red Cat Futures Initiative. The company is focused on ramping production of Teal’s next generation system to meet the Army’s currently stated acquisition objective for 5,880 systems, which is subject to change over the 5 year period of performance. Red Cat is also preparing to meet increased demand across the rest of the U.S. DoD, federal government, and allied countries, to support operators and warfighters globally. The company is a key partner in the trilateral strategic AUKUS program, which IUS recently interviewed the company about.
