Red Cat / Teal: winning the second round

COMPANY

Teal Drones, a Red Cat subsidiary (U.S. small-drone maker)

LANES

Army program competition (ch 09 tests), Blue List (ch 01)

PROGRAM

Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR), Tranche 2

BUYER

Army PM UAS

Starting point

Skydio won the first SRR round in 2022. Teal entered the second round's prototyping effort, where soldiers flew and rated the candidates.

Path through the lanes

2024 Competes in the SRR Tranche 2 prototyping effort, flown and rated by soldiers.

NOV 2024 Army confirms the Teal quadcopter is selected for SRR; funding and quantities to follow (press reports, quoting an Army spokesperson).

SEP 2026 A Teal Drones entry flies in the Drone Dominance Gauntlet 2 close-quarters event but does not make the leaderboard (press reports).

What a founder can copy

The Army said the pick rested on soldier feedback, performance and reliability during prototyping. Programs of record buy in rounds, so losing round one does not close the program.

What this means for you

A second round is a real door. Soldier feedback during prototyping carried the decision.

Next step: Ask the program office when the next tranche or round opens, and get your drone in soldiers' hands before it does.

Sources: Breaking Defense, Nov 20, 2024 (press reports) · DefenseScoop, Sep 18, 2026 (press reports)