Red Cat Holdings, Inc. is partnering with ESAero to provide critical AS9100 manufacturing capacity for the Black Widow sUAS and its subsystems.
ESAero will support Red Cat’s mission of delivering high-quality Made-in-America sUAS to its customers and the warfighter. With multiple AS9100-certified manufacturing facilities located in San Luis Obispo, CA, ESAero is positioned to enhance the production throughput of key technologies.
The AS9100 standard ensures a manufacturer has a quality management system in place to meet the stringent requirements of the aerospace industry. ESAero’s vertically integrated facilities and robust supply chain are suited to bolster the production of components and subsystems for Black Widow in a schedule-driven manner.
Teal Drones is a wholly owned subsidiary of Red Cat Holdings. The company’s Black Widow drone is designed for short-range reconnaissance (SRR) missions. The system, which was down selected for the U.S. Army’s SRR Program of Record contract, provides military operators with improved situational awareness, autonomous capabilities, and rugged performance in contested environments.
By combining Teal’s core technology with ESAero’s proven ability to scale production of advanced systems, Black Widow is set to be deployed rapidly and reliably.
Jeff Thompson, Red Cat CEO, commented, “As we ramp up production of the Black Widow to fulfill our SRR contracts and meet growing demand from U.S. and international customers, securing high-quality, aerospace-certified manufacturing capacity is critical.
“ESAero’s facilities, combined with their deep engineering expertise, make them an ideal partner for Red Cat. This collaboration supports our ability to scale manufacturing, focus on continuous improvement, and deliver mission-ready sUAS platforms to the warfighters that depend on them.”
Andrew Gibson, President, CEO, and Co-Founder of ESAero, added, “We have had a great relationship with Red Cat over the past year and a half supporting various developments, including the Teal 2 and Black Widow.
“During this time, we have made significant investments in our manufacturing capability for producing Group I – III UAS at scale, which we are thrilled to now provide to Red Cat and Teal. We believe this partnership will effectively and efficiently provide Teal the capacity they need to meet the production needs of their customers and the warfighter.”
