Red Cat Holdings’ Teal Black Widow™ and FlightWave Edge 130 drones have been selected for the Blue UAS Refresh, advancing their path toward NDAA compliance and expanding deployment opportunities for defense and government missions.
The Black Widow drone and FlightWave Edge 130 were among 23 platforms and 14 unique components selected for the Blue UAS Refresh. The platforms will be submitted for National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) verification and a cyber security review, with the goal of being added to the Blue UAS List.
In the coming months, the Blue UAS List and Framework will continue to grow with new additions. The inclusion of the Black Widow and Edge 130 as winners of the Refresh highlights Red Cat’s commitment to delivering NDAA-compliant unmanned systems for defense and government applications.
Teal’s Black Widow is Red Cat’s small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) designed for short-range reconnaissance (SRR) missions. The system, which was down selected for the U.S. Army’s SRR Program of Record contract, provides military operators with improved situational awareness, autonomous capabilities, and rugged performance in contested environments. The company recently partnered with Palantir to integrate Visual Navigation software (VNav) into Red Cat’s Black Widow drones.
FlightWave’s Edge 130 is a high-endurance vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone engineered for medium-range intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations. Its modular payload system and extended flight capabilities make it a versatile asset for defense and government missions.
Pending inclusion in the updated Blue UAS approved list, Red Cat’s drones can continue to be easily procured by the U.S. Department of Defense, federal agencies, and allied partners, eliminating lengthy waiver processes and ensuring rapid deployment to the field.
Jeff Thompson, Red Cat CEO, commented, “We applaud the DIU’s ongoing diligence and focus on U.S. drone manufacturing. The inclusion of both Teal’s Black Widow and FlightWave’s Edge 130 in the NDAA verification and cyber security review underscores our dedication to providing safe and secure solutions for the U.S. military and the warfighters that use them. As national security concerns around drone technology continue to grow, our systems ensure that the military and government agencies have access to reliable, mission-ready platforms.”
