Red Cat Holdings Black Widow | In operation in which case the drone will return to its launch point via the shortest route possible at a fixed altitude.” The main way of identifying damaged parts is through visual inspection. Chips, cracking or other damage to the arms, propellers or gimbal should be checked as part of the pre-flight inspection. Replacement of all these parts can be carried out rapidly in the field using just one tool. Propellers should be replaced after 10 hours of flight time and arms after 100 hours. No other system maintenance is expected, and Teal Drones does not predict the overall lifespan of the aircraft. The Black Widow system ships with a Field Repair Kit (FRK) that includes one full set of replacement propellers, one clockwise arm and one counterclockwise arm. “It is recommended that operators should have enough batteries to support their current mission in addition to a complete FRK. Additional spare arms, propellers and batteries are available for purchase, as necessary,” says Thompson. “Whilst it is not expected that the payload will need to be replaced, this sub-assembly can also be kept on hand as a spare part and installed in the field easily.” After a mission, imagery can be transferred from the aircraft in a variety of ways. If the aircraft was configured to transfer recorded images or video in real time during flight, they will be stored on the GCS already. If not, the images and video can be downloaded from the aircraft to the GCS following a flight, either by transferring the SD card to another device, via the system’s radios or through a wired connection between the USB-C ports on the aircraft and the FCS. “Finally, images and video can also be retrieved by directly connecting the aircraft with a PC. In this case the aircraft can be configured so that the PC will see it as an external storage device,” says Thompson. He also recommends that the operator clear all media storage on the aircraft between flights. In addition to checking for damage after every flight, the operator should ensure any batteries that need charging are removed from the aircraft and GCS, so they can be charged for subsequent operations. A test of design for ease of operation is how long it typically takes for someone to become proficient with the system. Thompson says this can take less than an hour, although he recommends that operators go through a three-day training programme. Teal Drones has a dedicated training team to help keep operators up to date. While the company ships paper copies of the quick-start guide and operator’s manual with the vehicle, and provides access to an online learning management system, Thompson recommends in-person training. Should problems arise in the field, Teal Drones provides support over the phone via email and through expert agents. If a system has to be returned, the company has a fully staffed, returned merchandise authorisation (RMA) team whose job is to get equipment back into operation. To develop improvements to Black Widow quickly and manufacture rapidly at scale, Red Cat’s partnership with Palantir extends to the adoption of its Warp Speed AI-based manufacturing system. Modern warfare uses up small drones rapidly, and the side that can turn them out in greater numbers will gain an important edge. 105 Uncrewed Systems Technology | February/March 2025 Aircraft weight: 3.6 lb (1.63 kg) Flight time: more than 35 minutes Speed: 10 m/s (23 mph) Range: 5 miles (8 km) WEB GCS weight: 3 lb (1.36 kg) Video downlink resolution: 1080p Encryption: AES-256 Frequency bands: M1-M6 (1625 MHz to 2510 MHz) Some key suppliers Target identification and classification software: Athena AI Hex band radio: Doodle Lab Electronics manufacturing: NEOTech Visual navigation: Palantir AI voice control: Primordial Labs AI chip: Qualcomm Farsight 3D mapping: Reveal Technology Smartphone at the heart of the optional Grip S20 GCS: Samsung Hadron/Boson IR camera, AI software stack: Teledyne FLIR Key specifications Black Widow is designed to operate in adverse weather, with damage tolerance and sufficient modularity to enable the operator to replace components quickly (Image courtesy of Red Cat)
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