Black Widow
The US Army's chosen short-range reconnaissance drone, built for rucksack portability and GPS-denied flight — its position rests on winning the SRR program of record rather than on any single specification.
Black Widow
The Black Widow is a short-range reconnaissance drone built by Teal Drones, a subsidiary of Red Cat Holdings, for small-unit ISR. It is designed to be carried in a rucksack, launched by an individual soldier, and flown in environments where GPS is jammed or spoofed.
Its significance is procedural rather than technical. In November 2024 the US Army selected Teal as the production winner of its Short Range Reconnaissance programme of record, following a multi-tranche competitive evaluation. Red Cat states the Army’s acquisition objective is 5,880 systems over a five-year period of performance, which the company notes is subject to change. No contract value was disclosed. In September 2025 the system was approved for the NATO Support and Procurement Agency catalogue, on a three-year contract with two optional additional years, opening procurement to NATO members and partners.
Specifications
| Specification | Black Widow |
|---|---|
| Weight | 4.26 lb / 1.93 kg |
| Endurance | 45+ minutes |
| Link range | 5 miles / 8 km |
| Max speed | 13 m/s (29 mph) |
| Payload | Teledyne FLIR Hadron 640R+ EO/IR |
| EO sensor | 64 MP, 67° HFOV, 4K at 30 fps |
| IR sensor | Boson+ 640 radiometric, 32° HFOV |
| Processor | Qualcomm RB5 (eight Kryo 585 cores, Adreno 650 GPU) |
| Navigation | Visual navigation for GPS-denied environments |
| Radio | Doodle Labs, encrypted |
| Country of manufacture | United States |
A note on the weight figure. Teal’s published specification is 4.26 lb (1.93 kg), and that is the number used above. Red Cat’s own NSPA press release describes the system as “under 3 lbs” with rucksack portability, and third-party dealers list 3.6 lb. These almost certainly describe different configurations — aircraft alone versus a fitted-out system — but Red Cat has not reconciled them publicly. Anyone buying against a weight requirement should confirm the configuration in writing.
Teal does not publish wind resistance, operating temperature or dimensions, and none are asserted here.
Use Cases
Squad-level ISR in electronically contested environments, where commercial drones fail to jamming or spoofing. Urban reconnaissance for building clearance and route assessment. Perimeter monitoring where a small, replaceable platform is preferable to committing a larger ISR asset.
Market Context
The Black Widow is Blue UAS certified and US-manufactured, which makes it eligible for federal procurement under the NDAA Section 848 restrictions that exclude Chinese-made aircraft — see the Blue UAS Cleared List guide for how that route works.
Its closest comparison is the Skydio X2D, the platform it beat in the SRR competition. The Skydio X10 is a larger inspection and observation aircraft in a different class, not a direct rival. Parrot’s ANAFI USA remains the other established NDAA-compliant option in the small-ISR segment.
The realistic read is that the SRR win, not the specification sheet, is what matters here. A 5,880-system objective makes the Black Widow the default US Army squad reconnaissance drone for the rest of the decade if Red Cat can deliver at rate — and Red Cat is a small company whose ability to manufacture at that volume is unproven. That execution risk, rather than any competing platform, is the thing to watch.
Verdict
The US Army’s chosen short-range reconnaissance drone, built for rucksack portability and GPS-denied flight — its position rests on winning the SRR program of record rather than on any single specification.