Thermal imaging and AI software integrated into Red Cat’s Black Widow drone
Teledyne FLIR, part of Teledyne Technologies, has been chosen by Red Cat Holdings, Inc., to provide thermal imaging and Artificial Intelligence (AI) embedded software for the Black Widow™ small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS). This selection comes as Red Cat secures the U.S. Army’s Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) Program of Record.
The U.S. Army plans to acquire 5,880 systems, each consisting of two aircraft. The Black Widow’s advanced capabilities include features designed for electronic warfare (EW) environments, making it a flexible and robust option for military operations.
Advanced Capabilities for Military Operations
The Black Widow integrates Teledyne FLIR’s NDAA-compliant Hadron™ 640R+ thermal and visible camera module along with Prism™ AI embedded perception software. This combination provides powerful dual-imaging and AI capabilities in a compact system.
Paul Clayton, Vice President at Teledyne FLIR, commented on the collaboration: “We are proud to be selected by Red Cat to support the Black Widow with unparalleled tactical capabilities for the U.S. Army’s SSR Program. This collaboration provides the Black Widow with superior yet compact dual thermal-visible imaging along with AI software libraries that enable classification, object detection, and object tracking to complete the mission day or night.”
The Black Widow’s modular design allows for quick adaptation to diverse mission requirements, supporting both primary reconnaissance and secondary payload operations.
Thermal Imaging and AI Integration
The Hadron 640R+ module features a 640×512-resolution thermal camera with exceptional thermal sensitivity and a 64-MP visible camera. This high-performance technology is designed for efficiency in size, weight, and power (SWaP).
Prism AI software complements the imaging hardware, enabling precise object detection, tracking, and motion target indication. These capabilities enhance the drone’s performance in complex and dynamic environments.
“The Hadron 640R+, with its best-in-class thermal vision, will play a key role in helping the warfighter Dominate the Night™ with the Black Widow,” said George Matus, CTO of Red Cat. “We are thrilled to continue our longstanding relationship with the world leader in thermal imaging technology, enabling Red Cat to accelerate deployment to the U.S. DoD and its allies across the globe.”
Recognition for Innovation
Teledyne FLIR’s Prism digital ecosystem recently received the Platinum Honoree award from Military+Aerospace Electronics magazine, highlighting its innovative role in defense and aerospace applications.
For more information on Teledyne FLIR and its products, visit www.flir.com/oem.
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Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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