Red Cat Holdings, headquartered in Puerto Rico, has teamed up with Virginia-based cybersecurity firm SpiderOak to assess its Black Widow short-range reconnaissance drone for potential inclusion on the U.S. Department of Defense’s Blue Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Cleared List.
Overseen by the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), the Blue UAS Cleared List certifies that drone platforms meet strict requirements for cybersecurity, supply-chain integrity, and regulatory compliance before they can be fielded by the U.S. military and other federal agencies.
SpiderOak, which received authorization as a Blue UAS assessor in November, will perform vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and evaluations related to foreign ownership, control, or influence (FOCI) risks associated with the Black Widow platform.
The review will be conducted in line with multiple U.S. government standards, including NIST 800-171 and 800-53, as well as Executive Order 14028. As part of the process, SpiderOak will apply threat modeling, secure-by-design principles, and supply-chain forensic analysis.
The evaluation comes as Red Cat continues to expand its footprint within the U.S. Department of Defense. The company reported $9.65 million in revenue in the third quarter of fiscal 2025, a sharp increase from $1.29 million a year earlier, driven largely by a $35 million short-range reconnaissance drone contract.
Red Cat produces U.S.-manufactured unmanned systems through its subsidiaries, including Teal Drones in Utah and FlightWave Aerospace in California.
