Military drones for the US Army: Red Cat delivers Edge 130 Blue to the Army National Guard

Edge 130 Blue military drones are set to go to the US armed forces: the Army National Guard and another government agency (OGA) have commissioned Red Cat Holdings with the delivery. Together, the orders are worth around half a million euros. Red Cat specialises in drone technology and integrates robotic hardware and software for military, government and commercial operations.

The Edge 130 was originally developed by FlightWave, a provider of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drones, sensors and software solutions. Since Red Cat acquired FlightWave in September 2024, the Edge 130 has been part of its own product family. Its size, weight and vertical take-off capability make the FlightWave drone ideal for operations at sea and in coastal areas.

Military drones with AI-controlled surveillance

With the current orders, the two government agencies have ordered a total of twelve Edge 130. In addition to the vertical take-off already mentioned, the drone is known for long flight times, AI-controlled surveillance functions and operational efficiency in a wide variety of environments. Red Cat CEO Jeff Thompson sees the company vindicated: “These new orders confirm the performance and unique capabilities of the Edge 130”.

At the same time, Thompson announced: “We are expanding our manufacturing capacity for the Edge 130 to accelerate momentum, and we will remain committed to supporting US government agencies with the best technology in the industry, improving their operational capabilities and their success.”

The military tricopter, certified as an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), is designed for long-range mapping, inspection, surveillance and reconnaissance tasks. The Blue variant was developed specifically for government and military applications: a single user can assemble the aircraft in just one minute and launch it by hand to capture precise medium-range aerial imagery. Weighing only 1,200 grams, the Edge achieves a flight time of more than 60 minutes in forward flight mode.