Red Cat, a drone technology company building hardware and software for military, federal, and commercial operations, has announced its ARACHNID family of unmanned intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and precision strike systems. Red Cat unveiled the Family of Systems at AUSA 2024 Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington D.C.
The ARACHNID family of systems is purpose built for the U.S. Army’s roadmap to integrate UAS and long endurance aircraft in a combined arms fight with synchronized fire and maneuver across various command levels. Red Cat currently addresses the needs of warfighters at the platoon and company level with drones that span capabilities and endurance for short and medium-range operations in air, land, and maritime environments. Future potential partnerships will enable long-range reconnaissance.
Red Cat seeks to combine the capabilities of portable, low-cost, and recoverable ISR drones with precision strike payloads. The company aims to enable a shift away from legacy, high-cost UAS to highly interoperable systems that can adapt to a rapidly evolving battlefield. This shift includes layered UAS/LE deployment to shape fires and maneuver, extended reach via networks and autonomy, and reduced cognitive burden with increased safety and survivability for warfighters.
“The U.S. Army has prioritized integrating UAS across military formations from squad to corps and have specific requirements informed by an understanding of emerging real-world threats,” said Jeff Thompson, Red Cat CEO. “We are introducing the ARACHNID™ family of systems to ensure we can react to the rapidly evolving needs of sUAS for short, medium and long range operations. With future partnerships, our drones can be dropped from long endurance aircraft or integrated into unmanned surface vessels to extend reach and penetration at the battlefield’s tactical edge.”
To address the needs of medium-range reconnaissance and persistent strike systems, Red Cat is accelerating the development of its FANG™ line of First-Person View (FPV) drones. Additionally, Red Cat’s product roadmap includes TRICHON™, which will build upon the FlightWave Edge 130 Blue, a military-grade VTOL tricopter for medium-range mapping, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
“The Pentagon’s Replicator initiative established a bold mission to accelerate the deployment of attritable sUAS to the warfighter. In concert with Replicator’s mission we are accelerating the development of our products that will enhance the effectiveness and safety of military and security operations,” said George Matus, Red Cat CTO. “In many ways, domestic UAS innovation has been spurred by learnings in Ukraine and Israel, where drones have clearly demonstrated asymmetric warfare. The ARACHNID family of systems represents what we believe the future of drones needs to look like.”
