A drone maker based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is the latest to make a significant order of UAVs for the Ukrainian war effort.
This week, Red Cat Holdings revealed it will satisfy an order to supply 200 of its long-range, high-speed first-person-view (FPV) Teal 2 UAVs to Ukrainian drone pilots. The company did not define what entity positioned the order, however the very first Teal 2 shipment is anticipated in June.
Red Cat did not right away react to FLYING’s ask for remark.
The airplane, which originate from Red Cat subsidiary Teal Drones, are developed particularly to make it possible for nighttime security and reconnaissance operations. Officially introduced simply a couple of weeks back, the Teal 2 is compact and rugged, developed for difficult environments like the battleground. Certified as “Blue UAS,” Red Cat is licensed to supply the tech to the U.S. armed force.
The Teal 2 is geared up with Teledyne FLIR’s Hadron 640R electro-optical/infrared sensing unit, which supplies high-resolution thermal imaging, especially for night operations. Red Cat claims Teal 2 likewise boasts the greatest power-to-weight ratio in the drone market that supplies increased maneuverability even in GPS-jammed conditions.
Taking a take a look at specifications, the drone uses a flight time of about thirty minutes, a leading speed of 23 miles per hour and an optimal variety of 3.1 miles from the controller. The Teal 2 is made at Red Cat’s factory in Salt Lake City.
“Fortunately, Red Cat has the U.S. manufacturing capacity required to quickly deliver on such orders,” said CEO Jeff Thompson. “We are pleased to provide our product to Ukrainian drone pilots, and we look forward to continuing to engage with them, including by providing our new nighttime drone, the Teal 2. Much of drone activity is performed at night, and the Teal 2 is at the forefront of nighttime drone capabilities.”
In February, Thompson and a delegation from Red Cat met NATO leaders to show Teal 2, a relocation that might have precipitated today’s order. And Teal Drones last month provided 15 Golden Eagle drones to a NATO member nation devoted to releasing them in Ukraine.
According to Red Cat, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) has actually likewise positioned an order for 54 Teal 2 drones. Previously, the company consented to a five-year, $90 million agreement to supply the firm with unmanned airplane systems (UAS) for reconnaissance, security, and tracking.
The Teal 2 might quickly turn up in the U.S. Army also. Teal Drones is one of three manufacturers participating in the Army’s Short Range Reconnaissance Tranche 2 program, which aims to supply small UAS for platoons to conduct surveillance. That relationship bodes well for an Army use case for the Teal 2.
Ukrainian soldiers will likely use the drone the way CBP and the Army plan to use it. Soldiers will be able to store the Teal 2 in a rucksack, deploying it to identify targets and map the battlefield when visibility is low, giving them an advantage when night falls.
That probably won’t turn the tide of the war. But added support from Red Cat might make life much easier for the Ukrainian military, which is likewise getting drones from Draganfly, AeroDrone, One Way Aerospace and others.
