Award advances the assessment of Black Widow as a possible successor to the Air Force Security Forces’ current Teal 2 fleet.
Red Cat Holdings, Inc., a U.S.-based provider of advanced all-domain drone and robotic solutions for defense and national security, has announced that its subsidiary, Teal Drones, has been awarded a $2.49 million firm-fixed-price contract from the U.S. Air Force. The contract covers the delivery of Black Widow™ small unmanned aircraft systems, along with training and related support services.
The contract includes Black Widow systems, train-the-trainer support, batteries, spare parts, and shipping. Under the agreement, the systems will undergo a technical and operational assessment to evaluate Black Widow as a potential replacement for the Air Force Security Forces’ existing Teal 2 fleet.
The end user is the U.S. Air Force Security Forces Center (AFSFC), which oversees training, equipment, and program execution for the Air Force Security Forces worldwide, including active-duty personnel, the Air National Guard, and the Air Force Reserve. The assessment could position Black Widow as the next-generation platform across the AFSFC’s Teal 2 fleet, further strengthening Red Cat’s growing role in the U.S. military following its selection as the U.S. Army’s Short Range Reconnaissance platform.
"We are proud to support the U.S. Air Force across active-duty, Air National Guard, and reservists, as the AFSFC evaluates Black Widow for missions at the tactical edge," said Jeff Thompson, CEO of Red Cat. "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."
Black Widow is Red Cat’s flagship short-range reconnaissance drone and the platform selected by the U.S. Army for its Short Range Reconnaissance Program. Designed to provide rapidly deployable intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, the system enhances situational awareness for warfighters in the field.
Under the terms of the contract, delivery of the systems is scheduled for completion by August 24, 2026.