Red Cat Holdings has partnered with aerospace manufacturing specialist Empirical Systems Aerospace, Inc. (ESAero) to provide certified production capabilities for the Black Widow™ sUAS (small unmanned aerial system), developed by its subsidiary, Teal Drones.
The collaboration will support increased manufacturing throughput and engineering services as Red Cat scales production to fulfil U.S. Army contracts and meet growing demand for Teal’s Black Widow sUAS and its subsystems.
Teal’s Black Widow drone is purpose-built for Short-Range Reconnaissance (SRR) missions, offering military personnel enhanced situational awareness, autonomous operation, and rugged performance in contested environments. The system was recently down selected for the U.S. Army’s SRR Program of Record contract, validating its capabilities in defense operations.
To meet the stringent manufacturing and quality requirements of military and aerospace customers, Red Cat has enlisted ESAero to provide AS9100-certified manufacturing services. The AS9100 standard is recognized internationally as a benchmark for aerospace quality management systems.
“As we ramp up production of the Black Widow to fulfill our SRR contracts and meet growing demand from U.S. and international customers, securing high-quality, aerospace-certified manufacturing capacity is critical,” said Jeff Thompson, Red Cat CEO.
“ESAero’s facilities, combined with their deep engineering expertise, make them an ideal partner for Red Cat. This collaboration supports our ability to scale manufacturing, focus on continuous improvement, and deliver mission-ready sUAS platforms to the warfighters that depend on them.”
Based in San Luis Obispo, California, ESAero operates multiple vertically integrated manufacturing facilities with robust supply chains, tailored to the production of Group I–III UAS at scale. The company’s support of the Teal 2 and Black Widow platforms over the past 18 months has included engineering and subsystem development, culminating in the expanded partnership announced today.
“We have had a great relationship with Red Cat over the past year and a half supporting various developments, including the Teal 2 and Black Widow,” said Andrew Gibson, President, CEO, and Co-Founder of ESAero.
“During this time, we have made significant investments in our manufacturing capability for producing Group I – III UAS at scale, which we are thrilled to now provide to Red Cat and Teal. We believe this partnership will effectively and efficiently provide Teal the capacity they need to meet the production needs of their customers and the warfighter.”
ESAero’s production model is designed to deliver aerospace-grade systems on tight timelines, aligning with the schedule-driven requirements of modern defense procurement programs. Through this partnership, Red Cat aims to streamline delivery of its Made-in-America sUAS platforms, reinforcing its commitment to operational readiness and industrial base resilience.
Red Cat and ESAero recognize the importance of strong partnerships within America’s industrial base to meet the critical production needs of the warfighter. By combining Teal’s core technology with ESAero’s proven ability to scale production of advanced systems, Black Widow will be well positioned to be deployed rapidly and reliably.
