KORTHOS / ECOSYSTEM / PRODUCT

Black Widow

About

About Black Widow

Black Widow weighs approximately 1.93 kilograms and flies for more than 45 minutes with an operating range above eight kilometres. The standard ISR configuration combines a Teledyne FLIR Hadron 640R+ thermal and visible camera with Qualcomm RB5 onboard compute for reconnaissance, target observation and edge processing.

The airframe uses replaceable arms and modular components that operators can repair in the field. Visual navigation supports operation when GNSS is unavailable, while an electronic-warfare-resilient radio, ATAK integration and interchangeable payload interface connect the aircraft with tactical command and mission systems.

Capabilities

Source-backed capabilities

  • Capability areas: Remote operation
  • Workflows: Tactical ISR mission, Drone ISR, Tactical ISR drone
  • Operating environments: Defence operational environment
  • Target markets: Defence customers, public safety agencies and tactical ISR units.
  • Deployment model: Deployed defence product with active procurement programs.
  • GNSS-denied navigation

    Demonstrated - 2026-07-29 - Black Widow testing covered Hoverfly NEXUS communications extension, Safe Pro AI threat detection on collected imagery and Palantir vision navigation in simulated GNSS-denied conditions.

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  • GNSS-denied navigation

    Demonstrated - Navigated a reconnaissance mission profile without GPS or human input. - environment: GPS-denied flight-test mission profile

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  • Mapping and photogrammetry

    Demonstrated - 2026-07-29 - Reveal Technology conducted repeatability testing for imagery, photogrammetry and 3D mapping, but the release did not identify the Red Cat aircraft used.

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  • ISR and tactical support

    Demonstrated - 2025-10-27 - Black Widow completed the test after its acceptance into the Army Short Range Reconnaissance programme of record.

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  • ISR and tactical support

    Claimed - 2024-10-14 - WEB provides a common command interface across the family, linking reconnaissance aircraft and precision-strike systems into one operating architecture.

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  • ISR and tactical support

    Claimed - The Black Widow manual documents real-time EO/IR video, reconnaissance and object tracking.

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Operations

  • Order / Commitment

    Black Widow drone systems under Japan MoD contract - 2026-05-21 - Japan Ministry of Defense / JGSDF - military small-UAS operations - Red Cat said it would deliver Black Widow drone systems under a Japan Ministry of Defense contract, with fulfillment coordinated through HAMA K.K.

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  • Order / Commitment

    Black Widow drone orders from NATO ally - 2026-04-02 - NATO ally - defense UAS - Red Cat secured new Black Widow drone orders from a NATO ally.

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  • Order / Commitment

    Black Widow drone orders from Asia-Pacific ally - 2026-02-02 - Asia-Pacific ally - military small-UAS operations - Red Cat secured new Black Widow sUAS orders from an unnamed Asia-Pacific ally after a competitive tender, with deliveries scheduled during calendar 2026.

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Supply

Supply / Components

  • Black Widow

    As9100 UAS Manufacturing And Engineering - manufacturing_services - ESAero - ESAero provides AS9100 manufacturing capacity and engineering services for Black Widow and its subsystems - source: ir.redcatholdings.com

    Source
  • Black Widow

    Teledyne Flir Hadron 640r Plus For Red Cat Black Widow - imaging - Teledyne FLIR - Red Cat specifies a Hadron 640R+ EO/IR payload with Boson+ thermal core on Black Widow - source: redcat.red

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  • Black Widow

    Mesh Radio Datalink - Communications - Doodle Labs - Doodle Labs Helix Mesh Rider radios are used in Red Cat Black Widow under Army SRR Tranche 2 - source: doodlelabs.com

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  • Black Widow

    Open Q 5165n System On Module - Compute & Control - Lantronix - Lantronix supplies Open-Q 5165N SOMs integrated into Red Cat Black Widow drones - source: lantronix.com

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Timeline

  • Red Cat receives $2.49m U.S. Air Force order for Black Widow systems

    2026-07-30 - Contract Award - Red Cat’s Teal Drones subsidiary received a $2.49m firm-fixed-price U.S. Air Force contract for Black Widow small UAS, training, batteries, spares and support. The order includes train-the-trainer support, batteries, spares and shipping. Contract delivery is due by 24 August 2026.

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  • Red Cat validates five partner integrations on Black Widow and Teal 2

    2026-07-29 - Demonstration - Black Widow testing covered Hoverfly NEXUS communications extension, Safe Pro AI threat detection on collected imagery and Palantir vision navigation in simulated GNSS-denied conditions. Teal 2 testing covered Vigilare TitanOps voice and text commands, scene narration, configurable alerts and course-of-action concepts. Reveal Technology conducted repeatability testing for imagery, photogrammetry and 3D mapping, but the release did not identify the Red Cat aircraft used.

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  • Red Cat to deliver Black Widow drone systems under Japan Ministry of Defense contract

    2026-05-21 - Contract Award - Red Cat issued a corrected release for its Japan Ministry of Defense / JGSDF Black Widow contract. The corrected release states that each system includes Black Widow aircraft, the WEB ground control station and other mission-critical components. Red Cat said fulfillment will be coordinated with Japanese partner HAMA K.K., with local industrial involvement expected to deepen over time.

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  • Red Cat secures Black Widow orders from NATO ally

    2026-04-02 - Contract Award - A NATO ally selected Red Cat's Black Widow sUAS through a competitive tender in March 2026. Delivery of an undisclosed number of systems is scheduled during calendar year 2026. The contract was facilitated through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency procurement channel.

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  • Red Cat closes acquisition of Apium Swarm Robotics

    2026-03-30 - Acquisition - Apium will operate as an independent Red Cat company while scaling its multi-agent autonomy architecture for integration across Red Cat’s Family of Systems. Apium’s distributed autonomy stack lets multiple robotic platforms coordinate, adapt to mission changes and complete objectives without continuous operator input, including in GPS- and communications-denied environments. The planned integration extends across Red Cat’s portfolio, including the Black Widow ISR drone, following Apium demonstrations with Red Cat aircraft at Army and company events.

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  • Red Cat secures Black Widow orders from Asia-Pacific ally

    2026-02-02 - Contract Award - An unnamed Asia-Pacific ally selected Red Cat's Black Widow sUAS through a competitive tender in December 2025. Delivery of an undisclosed number of systems is scheduled during calendar year 2026. This was the second Asia-Pacific allied nation to recently order Black Widow systems for military use.

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  • Red Cat completes Palantir VNav flight test on Black Widow

    2025-10-27 - Demonstration - The flight test used Palantir Visual Navigation to guide Black Widow from onboard imagery in simulated GPS-denied conditions. Black Widow completed the test after its acceptance into the Army Short Range Reconnaissance programme of record. Red Cat described VNav as a modular software integration for contested navigation environments.

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  • Redwire and Red Cat pair Black Widow with Stalker for Army echelon concept

    2025-10-14 - Partnership - The concept uses Edge Autonomy's Stalker Group 2 fixed-wing VTOL aircraft as a carrier, launch platform, and communications relay for Black Widow. That architecture links a longer-endurance Group 2 aircraft with a deployable Group 1 reconnaissance system. The companies framed the integration around supporting multiple U.S. Army echelon requirements.

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  • Red Cat Black Widow approved for NATO NSPA catalogue

    2025-09-11 - Regulatory - Catalogue inclusion lets NATO member nations and eligible partners procure Black Widow through NSPA-managed channels. NSPA provides a multinational acquisition route without requiring each buyer to establish a separate procurement framework. Teal Drones remains the system manufacturer and Red Cat subsidiary behind the aircraft.

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  • Lantronix Open-Q 5165N powers Red Cat Black Widow drones

    2025-08-18 - Partnership - Lantronix had begun production shipments of Open-Q 5165N modules for Black Widow when it announced the design win. The module is built around Qualcomm QRB5165 compute and provides onboard edge-AI processing. Lantronix described the module as TAA- and NDAA-compliant for U.S. government drone programmes.

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  • Red Cat partners with ESAero for Black Widow manufacturing

    2025-05-27 - Partnership - ESAero’s vertically integrated facilities cover engineering, design for manufacturing, rapid prototyping, testing and serialized production. The work supports Red Cat’s production ramp for U.S. Army Short Range Reconnaissance contracts and demand from U.S. and international customers. ESAero said its San Luis Obispo facilities provide more than 130,000 square feet of AS9100-certified manufacturing capacity.

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  • Red Cat Black Widow and Edge 130 selected as Blue UAS Refresh winners

    2025-02-24 - Regulatory - Black Widow and Edge 130 were included in a refresh cohort covering 23 platforms and 14 unique components. Selected systems proceed through NDAA verification and cybersecurity review for potential Blue UAS List or Framework inclusion. The pathway is designed to make vetted systems available for government procurement.

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  • Red Cat partners with Palantir for Black Widow visual navigation and Warp Speed

    2024-12-16 - Partnership - Palantir Visual Navigation uses onboard camera imagery to estimate position when satellite navigation is unavailable or degraded. The agreement also covers Palantir Warp Speed, a manufacturing operating system intended to support Black Widow production. The integration targets autonomous flight in GPS-compromised operating environments.

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  • Red Cat wins U.S. Army Short Range Reconnaissance Program of Record selection

    2024-11-19 - Contract Award - The Army decision concluded a competitive evaluation conducted across multiple SRR tranches. Black Widow is delivered with the WEB ground-control system for short-range reconnaissance missions. Red Cat said the programme decision shifted its focus to ramping Black Widow and WEB production for Army users.

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  • Red Cat introduces ARACHNID family of small ISR and precision-strike systems at AUSA 2024

    2024-10-14 - Product Launch - The family spans Black Widow, Edge 130, FANG, and the WEB ground-control system for platoon- and company-level missions. WEB provides a common command interface across the family, linking reconnaissance aircraft and precision-strike systems into one operating architecture.

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Context

Market context

Black Widow is a Group 1 SRR quadcopter at 4.

  • Target environment: Defence operational environments, tactical field sites and public safety operational areas.
  • Workflow context: Short-range reconnaissance, tactical ISR, public safety monitoring and situational awareness for small-unit operations.
  • Customer context: Defence customers, public safety agencies and tactical ISR units.
  • Deployment model: Deployed defence product with active procurement programs.
  • Commercial maturity: Deployed small-UAS platform with defence and public safety adoption.
  • Adoption constraints: Defence procurement cycles and export regulations. Short-range design limits operational radius relative to larger UAVs.
  • Market position: Red Cat's flagship small-UAS platform and a key trusted-drone program reference.
  • Adjacent products: PDW C100, tactical ISR small UAS

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