Teal 2 Makes Blue sUAS List: Red Cat and Athena Announce New AI and Computer Vision Abilities for Teal 2 Drone

Red Cat, Athena AI Announce New AI and Computer-Vision Abilities for Teal 2 Drone: Teal 2 Added to Blue sUAS Cleared list.

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby

Military technology company Red Cat Holdings has announced that the Teal 2 drone has been added to the U.S. Department of Defense DIU Blue sUAS Cleared list.  The company also announced this week completion of the second phase of its artificial intelligence and computer-vision partnership with AI-enabled military decision-support company Athena AI. Athena was first announced as a partner for Red Cat subsidiary Teal Drones’ Teal 2 military-grade drone last March. By processing video recorded by Teal 2’s thermal-imaging sensor, Athena’s technology is now able to perform target recognition and battle tracking, enabling rapid decision-making on the battlefield through the assistance of artificial intelligence.

“Nighttime computer-vision capability is a Teal 2 add-on we support for users who need high-value data at night,” said Teal Drones founder and CEO George Matus. “The images and insights that Athena’s technology deliver are outstanding. Athena’s battle-tracking capabilities and artificial intelligence, combined with Teal’s best-in-class drone, give warfighters the unfair advantage.”

Athena has licensed to Red Cat its computer-vision architecture, enabling high-speed tracking of objects as well as in-depth data exploitation at slower speeds. Athena’s solution is capable of identifying weapons, humans and other targets at night, in addition to Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) markers, such as Cyalume HALOs and IR beacons.

“Unlike a lot of other drones in the sUAS quad space that aren’t MISB-compliant, the Teal 2’s KLV metadata unlocks the full decision-suite support of Athena AI,” said Athena CEO Stephen Bornstein. “This combination of a nighttime sUAS with live-vehicle metadata allows for real-time situational awareness to support battle tracking, common operational picture (COP) at higher echelons of command, and accurate targeting.”

Designed to “Dominate the Night™,” the Teal 2 was officially launched in April, serving as the world’s leading sUAS for night operations. It is the first sUAS to feature Teledyne FLIR‘s new Hadron 640R sensor, granting users the highest resolution thermal imaging in a small form factor. The drone also provides the latest intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) technology, relaying urgent information and allowing operators to make smarter and faster decisions. The Teal 2 airframe was designed as an open platform capable of incorporating software features like Athena AI, with such combined products improving Red Cat’s gross margins.

The Teal 2 will be exhibited by Red Cat at the Modern Day Marine expo in Washington, D.C., from June 27-29.

Read more:

• Red Cat Launches the Teal 2: the Drone for Nighttime Ops
• Athena AI, Teal 2 Drone: Computer Vision to Identify Weapons, Friends and Foes at Night
• Rebuilding America’s Defense Industry: Utah Gov. Tours Teal Drones HQ
• New Teal Golden Eagle Drone Will Use Immervision Cameras for Low-Light Navigation
• What Drones Do US Border Patrol Use? Teal Drones Wins $1 M Contract for Golden Eagle

Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.