The U.S. Army has begun production of the second tranche of its Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) unmanned aircraft systems as part of its push to modernize battlefield capabilities.
In a news release, the Army announced that Teal Drones, along with its Black Widow system, has been selected to produce the SRR platform, which will equip the service’s Transformation in Contact (TIC) units.
Fielding of the SRR platform began in September 2022 and has now reached more than 16 brigades.
The Army said feedback from these initial deployments informed upgrades in the second phase, including longer endurance, improved durability, and better integration with the Army’s digital networks. The Army said future phases will follow the same iterative approach.
According to the company, the Black Widow weighs 1.63 kilograms, flies up to 23 miles per hour, has an 8-kilometer range, and can stay airborne for more than 35 minutes.
Designed for stealth with a low acoustic signature, it carries Teledyne FLIR’s Prism AI software for object tracking, Doodle Labs Hex-Band Radio for resilience against electronic warfare, Reveal Farsight 3D mapping, and Athena AI for target identification.
