Red Cat Launches Teal 2 Military-Grade Small Unmanned Aircraft System
Red Cat Holdings, Inc., a military technology company based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, announced it has launched its new military-grade small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS), the Teal 2. The company acquired Teal Drones in July 2021, as noted by TechBuzz. Teal Drones manufactures the Teal 2 in Salt Lake City.
Red Cat made the announcement today at the 2023 AAAA Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit in Nashville, Tennessee. Attendees at the April 26-28 summit have been able to view the Teal 2 on public display (in booth 2138) for the first time.
Previously available only to early-adopter customers, the Teal 2 is now available to order for military, government and commercial purposes.
“Most military operations take place at night, and the Teal 2 is exactly the sUAS that warfighters have been asking for,” says Red Cat CEO Jeff Thompson. “Teal 2 is designed to ‘Dominate the Night™’ and arrives as the world’s leading small unmanned aircraft system for nighttime operations. The system also offers the latest intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) technology, delivering time-critical information and enabling operators to make faster, smarter decisions.”
The Teal 2 is the first sUAS to be equipped with Teledyne FLIR's new Hadron 640R sensor. This provides end users with the highest resolution thermal imaging in a small (Group 1) form factor, optimized for nighttime operations. Red Cat’s other technology partners for the Teal 2 include Athena AI, Reveal Technology and Tomahawk Robotics.
The system’s compact size and rugged, weather-resistant design enable it to be rucksack portable and deployed in the most challenging environments. Multi-vehicle command and control allows for a 360-degree view of a target, or for ISR on multiple targets.
Early-adopter customers have included U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which ordered 54 units of the Teal 2. These systems are being used to provide supplemental airborne reconnaissance, surveillance and tracking capability, enhancing situational awareness for U.S. field commanders and agents.
Red Cat subsidiary Teal Drones is certified as “Blue UAS,” which designates manufacturers that are authorized to provide equipment to the U.S. military. Teal is also one of only three drone manufacturers invited to participate in the U.S. Army’s Short Range Reconnaissance Tranche 2 (SRR T2). The SRR T2 program seeks to deliver a portable sUAS that army platoons can use for surveillance and reconnaissance duties, as well as to improve situational awareness.
“The advanced technology and innovative design of the Teal 2 will help redefine the future of defense,” says Thompson. “The AAAA summit this week is your first opportunity to see the system up close and in person.”
Salt Lake City-based Teal Drones was founded in 2015 by then 17-year old George Matus. The company started out as a consumer-focused startup and has since expanded its sales into enterprise and government sectors.
