Red Cat Holdings, Inc., a drone technology company integrating robotic hardware and software for military, government and commercial operations, has announced a development partnership with aerospace engineering firm ESAero.
ESAero will assist with fast-tracked, customer-specific projects, allowing Red Cat to remain focused on its core hardware and software offerings, including the Teal 2 sUAS.
“We’re proud to be working with ESAero,” said George Matus, founder and CEO of Red Cat subsidiary Teal Drones. “We’ve been impressed by their engineering skill set and understanding of market requirements. Having them lead important ad-hoc projects benefits our customers by rapidly giving them what they need and benefitting Teal by allowing us to focus on production ramping and core R&D.”
In addition to ESAero’s competencies in design and manufacturing, the company’s Designated Secured Facility — a government–accredited site where secured information can be stored, discussed or electronically processed — enables ESAero to work on sensitive projects in collaboration with Red Cat, including payloads designed for future use cases.
“Like Red Cat, we’re focused on innovation and elevating what’s possible in the field of manned and unmanned aircraft,” said Andrew Gibson, president and CEO of ESAero. “We’re looking forward to further developing our partnership with Red Cat through future projects.”
The first product of the companies’ partnership is an ESAero-designed multi-battery charger, which will be offered as an accessory to the Teal 2 sUAS. This multi-battery charger makes it possible to charge backup batteries while the aircraft is in operation to support persistent ISR missions. Because the Teal 2 drone and its ground control station use the same battery pack, the multi- battery charger provides an all-in-one solution. In developing the charger, ESAero leveraged the company’s deep experience in electric aircraft technology and batteries to develop robust and efficient technology for the Teal 2 sUAS.
Approved by the U.S. Department of Defense as Blue UAS and available to purchase through the federal government’s GSA Advantage website, the Teal 2 is designed to Dominate the Night. As the first sUAS to be equipped with Teledyne FLIR’s new Hadron 640R sensor, the Teal 2 offers end users the highest-resolution thermal imaging in a small form factor.
Additionally, the Teal 2 features the latest intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance technology, delivering time-critical information and enabling operators to make faster, smarter decisions. The system offers multi-vehicle control and artificial intelligence capabilities.
Source: Press Release