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United States Red Cat Holdings, Inc.
Black Widow
A hand-launched, foldable quadcopter built by Red Cat's Teal Drones subsidiary, selected by the US Army in November 2024 as the winning platform for the Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) program of record. Features a mechanically stabilized EO/IR gimbal and an electronic-warfare-resilient frequency-stepping radio.
In service since 2024
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗
Pricing: Unit cost not publicly disclosed; fielded under the US Army's Short Range Reconnaissance program of record
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
US ITAR-controlled
Export needs U.S. State Dept (DDTC) approval; end-use & re-transfer restrictions apply.
Channel: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale
Fielded & proven
Operator data not public
In service since 2024. Status: active.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from. Why so few systems publish one →
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Competitive field
74 comparable systems from 36 other manufacturers
Counted in the WeaponSpecs database: UAVs built by another manufacturer that share at least one published role with this system. A count of what this catalog holds, not a survey of the whole market. See the alternatives →
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Overview
The Black Widow is a man-portable, hand-launched quadcopter developed by Teal Drones, a subsidiary of Red Cat Holdings, for organic short-range reconnaissance at the squad and platoon level. It carries a mechanically stabilized Teledyne FLIR Hadron 640R+ EO/IR gimbal delivering 64-megapixel daytime imagery and radiometric thermal sensing, communicates over a frequency-stepping Doodle Hex-Band radio designed to resist jamming and detection, and runs its ground control software (WEB, or Warfighter Electronic Bridge) on Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK). Rated for more than 45 minutes of flight time and roughly 8 km of range at cruise speed, the system is built to be low-cost, field-repairable and recoverable. In December 2023 Black Widow was named one of two finalists for the US Army's Short Range Reconnaissance Tranche 2 requirement, and in November 2024 it was publicly announced as the winning platform, making it the Army's program-of-record sUAS for squad-level ISR; it has since been approved for the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) catalogue.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
| Cruise speed Sustained economical speed. Determines transit time to station. | 47 km/h |
|---|---|
| Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence. | 8 km |
| Endurance Time on station. Critical for UAVs and patrol platforms, higher means longer persistent coverage. On a ground robot, published continuous run time on a full charge or fuel tank. | 0.8 h |
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
| Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor. | 2 kg |
|---|---|
| Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity. | 0 |
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
| Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet… | Electric quadrotor, foldable |
|---|
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
| Sensors IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights. | Teledyne FLIR Hadron 640R+ mechanically stabilized EO/IR gimbal: 64MP EO camera (4K/30fps), Boson+ 640 radiometric thermal (32-degree HFOV) |
|---|---|
| Datalink Network connectivity: Link 16, MADL, national datalinks. Enables cooperative engagement. | Doodle Hex-Band frequency-stepping radio for electronic-warfare resilience |
Specifications compiled from public Red Cat Holdings, Inc. and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-08-24.
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Turkish Aerospace Industries ANKA-S Frequently asked questions
What is the range of the Red Cat Holdings, Inc. Black Widow? +
The Red Cat Holdings, Inc. Black Widow has a maximum range of 8 km.
How much does the Red Cat Holdings, Inc. Black Widow weigh? +
The Red Cat Holdings, Inc. Black Widow has a combat weight of 2 kg.
How many crew does the Red Cat Holdings, Inc. Black Widow require? +
The Red Cat Holdings, Inc. Black Widow requires a crew of 0.
What is the Red Cat Holdings, Inc. Black Widow used for? +
The Red Cat Holdings, Inc. Black Widow is a uav / drone typically used for isr, reconnaissance.
How much does the Red Cat Holdings, Inc. Black Widow cost? +
Red Cat Holdings, Inc. Black Widow: Unit cost not publicly disclosed; fielded under the US Army's Short Range Reconnaissance program of record. Defense program costs are rarely fully public and vary by contract and configuration.
