Black Widow drone production to be supported by ESAero under new Red Cat partnership
NewsMay 29, 2025
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico. Red Cat Holdings partnered with ESAero to scale production of its Teal Black Widow small uncrewed aerial system (sUAS) through AS9100-certified manufacturing and engineering support, the company announced in a statement.
The Black Widow sUAS, developed by Red Cat subsidiary Teal Drones, is designed for short-range reconnaissance missions and was previously selected for the U.S. Army’s Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) Program of Record. According to the statement, ESAero will provide manufacturing capacity and subsystem production support from its facilities in San Luis Obispo, California.
The partnership will help Red Cat fulfill current SRR contract demands and expand availability to U.S. and international customers, the statement reads. ESAero’s vertically integrated manufacturing sites and aerospace-grade quality management systems are expected to support the scaling of Black Widow components and platforms on a schedule-driven basis.
Both companies cited the collaboration as a step toward strengthening domestic production of military sUAS technology while ensuring reliable delivery to defense operators, the company says.
