# Teal Black Widow: robot model

Canonical ID: `b3dee150-2b41-4bf8-bd47-817185b78938`

- **Slug:** teal-black-widow
- **Form factor:** aerial
- **Maturity stage:** production
- **Lifecycle:** active
- **Deployments registered:** 0

## Specs

- **notes:** [object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
- **specs:** Teal Black Widow: hand-launched, foldable, rucksack-portable Group-1 soldier-ISR quadcopter for single-operator short-range reconnaissance. ~4.26 lb (1.93 kg) takeoff weight (marketing elsewhere says under 3 lb / 3.6 lb - spec inconsistency, cap-flag); 45+ min endurance; ~5 mi (8 km) link range; Teledyne FLIR Hadron 640R+ EO/IR payload; Doodle Labs Hex-Band frequency-hopping radio with AES-256; Qualcomm RB5 AI-capable compute; FLIR Prism AI software; forward obstacle avoidance + radio-off stealth mode; claimed GPS-denied operation. Made by Teal Drones, a subsidiary of Red Cat Holdings (NASDAQ: RCAT; CEO Jeff Thompson; founder/CTO George Matus; subsidiaries Teal Drones + FlightWave; Salt Lake City manufacturing).
- **formFactor:** aerial (soldier-borne ISR rucksack quadcopter; manually-piloted + assistive autonomy + AI compute; US Army SRR program-of-record)

## Deployments

_No deployments registered for this model._

## Supply chain

_No verified supply relationships on file. Supply-chain coverage is being added across the registry; check back as the seed populates this model's suppliers._

_Suppliers appear when verified with at least two strong sources. Sources are append-only; corrections add new sources rather than rewrite history._

## Common questions

### What is Teal Black Widow?

The Teal Black Widow is a soldier-borne ISR rucksack quadcopter made by Teal Drones, a subsidiary of Red Cat Holdings (NASDAQ: RCAT), and is recorded in the aerial form factor as the US Army Short Range Reconnaissance program drone. A hand-launched, foldable Group-1 quadcopter for single-operator short-range reconnaissance, it carries a Teledyne FLIR Hadron 640R+ electro-optical/infrared payload, an AES-256 frequency-hopping Doodle Labs radio, and a Qualcomm RB5 AI-capable compute module running FLIR's Prism AI stack, with about 45 minutes of endurance and roughly five miles of link range. It is primarily a manually piloted ISR drone with assistive autonomy such as forward obstacle avoidance and a radio-off stealth mode, so the registry frames any autonomous-drone characterization as an overclaim. Its load-bearing fact is verified: the Black Widow won the US Army Short Range Reconnaissance Program of Record in a production selection announced November 19, 2024, displacing the incumbent Skydio. The registry cap-flags the contract scope, however: the actual low-rate initial production contract is about 12.9 million dollars per a US Army FOIA disclosure rather than the larger figures used in management framing, and the often-cited 5,880-systems number is the Army's stated five-year objective, explicitly subject to change, not an obligated quantity, with a reported Tranche 2 expansion to about 35 million dollars. The common framing of the Black Widow as a Black Hornet alternative is corrected here: it is a different and larger class than Teledyne FLIR's roughly 70-gram Black Hornet nano-UAV and replaced Skydio on the platoon-level SRR program rather than replacing the Black Hornet. Red Cat is a cash-burning small-cap reliant on dilutive financing, with fiscal-year 2025 revenue of 40.7 million dollars driven by SRR deliveries against a 72.1 million dollar net loss, and the registry records the maturity as low-rate production.

### Who makes Teal Black Widow?

Teal Black Widow is made by Red Cat Holdings, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

### Where is Teal Black Widow deployed?

No verified deployments of Teal Black Widow are currently on the DEPLOY registry. DEPLOY records deployments only when verified at a named site with a primary source; absence may reflect pre-deployment, research, or manufacturer-internal use.

### What is Teal Black Widow's maturity stage?

Teal Black Widow is at the production stage on the DEPLOY maturity ladder (research, prototype, pilot, commercial, production). Production stage means high-volume manufacture and commercial-scale deployments are sustained.


## Sources (7)

1. https://ir.redcatholdings.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/160/red-cat-announces-production-selection-for-u-s-army-short-range-reconnaissance-program
2. https://www.therobotreport.com/red-cat-wins-u-s-army-next-gen-drone-contract-over-skydio/
3. https://www.aviationtoday.com/2025/08/07/red-cat-expects-lrip-order-soon-for-armys-srr-small-drone-aggressive-ramp-up-in-fy-26/
4. https://ir.redcatholdings.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/172/red-cat-holdings-proud-to-announce-teals-black-widow-and-flightwaves-edge-130-selected-as-winners-of-the-blue-uas-refresh
5. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000748268/000162828026019861/rcat-20251231.htm
6. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/09/11/3148375/0/en/Red-Cat-s-Teal-Drones-Black-Widow-System-Approved-for-NATO-NSPA-Catalogue.html
7. https://fuzzypandaresearch.com/rcat-army-contract-smaller-than-claimed/

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