Red Cat Taps SpiderOak to Secure Pentagon Approval for Black Widow Drone

Puerto Rico-based Red Cat Holdings has partnered with Virginia cyber firm SpiderOak to evaluate its Black Widow short-range reconnaissance drone for inclusion on the US Department of Defense’s Blue Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Cleared List.

Managed by the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit, the Blue UAS Cleared List ensures drone technologies meet digital security, supply chain integrity, and compliance standards before being adopted by the US military and other federal agencies.

SpiderOak, which was approved as a Blue UAS assessor last November, will conduct vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and reviews of foreign ownership, control, or influence issues for the Black Widow.

Benchmarks of the review will align with several US government guidelines, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s 800-171 and 800-53 regulations, as well as Executive Order 14028.

SpiderOak will apply threat modeling, secure-by-design analysis, and supply chain forensics throughout associated processes.

Michael Carlson, senior director of business development at SpiderOak, commented on the upcoming test, highlighting its importance to accelerate certification and fielding timelines of Red Cat’s flagship Black Widow system.

“Red Cat is an industry leader pushing the boundaries of all-domain defense operations, and the Black Widow platform plays a critical role in ensuring our warfighters maintain situational advantage,” he stated.

The review comes as Red Cat expands its US Department of Defense footprint.

The company reported $9.65 million in revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2025, up from $1.29 million last year, which was driven by a $35-million short-range reconnaissance drone contract.

Red Cat develops US-made unmanned systems through subsidiaries including Teal Drones in Utah and FlightWave Aerospace in California.