The US Air Force is considering the Black Widow small uncrewed aircraft system (UAS), made by Red Cat Holdings’ subsidiary Teal Drones, to replace its current Teal 2 drone fleet.
The service awarded the company a $2.49-million contract to supply an undisclosed quantity of the short-range Black Widow reconnaissance drones, training support, batteries, spares, and shipping. Deliveries are expected by August 24, 2026.
Black Widow drones are set to undergo the Air Force Security Forces Center’s (AFSFC) technical and operational assessment as a potential successor to the Teal 2 small UAS fleet.
AFSFC trains, equips, and manages the program execution for active-duty, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve Defenders.
“This assessment of the Black Widow reflects growing recognition across the Department of War that secure, American-made systems are essential for the operations our national defense and security organizations carry out every day,” said Jeff Thompson, Red Cat CEO.
Black Widow
The 4-pound (2-kilogram) Black Widow is built for tactical intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.
It can fly at 29 miles (47 kilometers) per hour, reach a range of around 5 miles (8 kilometers), and remain airborne for about 50 minutes.
The Black Widow was selected for the US Army’s Short Range Reconnaissance Program in 2024.
Red Cat continues to expand the Black Widow drone’s battlefield capabilities with new integrations, including the OBERON tactical fires ecosystem, an artificial intelligence-powered threat detection kit, and navigation software for flying in GPS-denied environments.
