Red Cat’s Black Widow drone earns NATO NSPA approval, opening doors for allied sales
September 11, 2025
US defence technology company Red Cat has had its Teal Drones Black Widow system officially approved for inclusion in the NATO Support and Procurement (NSPA) Catalogue.
This means Black Widow is available for NATO member nations and eligible partners to purchase through NSPA-managed channels, including direct catalogue ordering and sponsored tenders.
“Being available through NSPA simplifies cross-border acquisition and sustainment, helping customers move from requirement to fielding faster,” says Geoffrey Hitchcock, Chief Revenue Officer at Red Cat. “Just as importantly, it ensures NATO forces can operate with a trusted, American-made system that is fully interoperable with allied mission requirements.”
The NATO approval comes after the US Army selected Red Cat’s Black Widow drone for its Short-Range Reconnaissance (SRR) programme in November 2024.
Speaking to AGN on the sidelines of DSEI, prior to the NATO announcement, Red Cat Vice President of Marketing Stan Nowak noted that, “because of the US Army contract, Europe, NATO, they’re all now looking at our system.”
“There are so many tenders in Europe that we’re working on right now because of the requirements and capabilities that match this drone,” he added.
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Red Cat’s flagship drone is ready for NATO
For Red Cat, the NSPA approval is a powerful endorsement. It validates that the Black Widow system meets NATO’s exacting standards not only in terms of performance, but also in areas such as logistics, interoperability, and sustainment.
That stamp of credibility positions the company more firmly on the international stage, giving it the ability to pitch directly into NATO procurement frameworks rather than relying solely on individual bilateral deals.
By appearing in the NSPA catalogue, Red Cat can expect shorter procurement cycles, reduced administrative hurdles, and a clearer route to market across Europe and beyond. In a defence sector where approvals and certifications are often decisive, this recognition offers a major competitive advantage.
For NATO member states, the inclusion of Black Widow is equally significant. The catalogue listing streamlines the acquisition process, allowing governments to order the system through established NSPA supply chains rather than duplicating testing, validation, or contract work on a country-by-country basis.
Just as important, it signals that the system adheres to common NATO standards, from secure communications and data links to maintenance and long-term support, ensuring interoperability between allied forces.
“Something we work hard on is battlefield management, and how our equipment plays nice with other countries, so everything is easily interconnected,” Nowak tells AGN. “Because if we’re talking about the next great conflict, we all have to be ready, not fiddling around to make everything work.”
Because the drone has already been tested and proven in demanding environments, member states gain access to a resilient, mature option that can operate in contested airspace where jamming and electronic warfare are a constant threat.
“We were able to do a lot of testing for this drone in Ukraine against actual Russian jammers,” Nowak says. “There was full testing and evaluation done… we were there tweaking non-stop, because it’s a cat-and-mouse game.”
What is the Black Widow drone and why is it a good fit for NATO?
The Teal Black Widow system is Red Cat’s next-generation small uncrewed aerial vehicle, designed to provide frontline units with rapid, reliable intelligence in contested environments.
Weighing just over four pounds, it offers extended short-range reconnaissance with modular payloads, including high-resolution EO/IR sensors for overwatch and multi-camera mapping kits for terrain analysis.
The platform is highly portable, quick to deploy, and engineered for resilience against jamming and electronic warfare.
What makes Black Widow particularly well-suited for NATO is its emphasis on interoperability and scalability. Red Cat has designed the system to integrate into wider battlefield networks and to be compatible with allied protocols
This, coupled with the company’s demonstrated ability to scale production, means NATO can adopt it not only as a capable tactical asset but also as a standardised, sustainable solution across multiple member states. In short, Black Widow combines cutting-edge technology with practical deployability, a balance that aligns precisely with NATO’s operational and procurement needs.
