The test integrated Red Cat’s Teal 2 and Black Widow drones with Palladyne™ Pilot AI software, enabling decentralised communication and onboard edge computing. Without relying on central infrastructure, the drones autonomously detected and tracked dynamic and static ground targets—including people and vehicles—across different regions.
A single operator maintained comprehensive situational awareness during the test, thanks to the distributed intelligence of the system. This follows earlier testing milestones, including a single-drone scenario in December 2024 and a two-drone operation in January 2025.
“This new testing milestone represents significant progress in our joint mission with Red Cat to enable multi-drone interoperability and autonomous collaboration for the defense sector,” said Matt Vogt, Chief Revenue Officer at Palladyne AI. “We are proud to have successfully completed this three-drone flight and believe our joint, cross-platform, autonomous solution will be a game changer for U.S. military personnel and drone operators.”
Geoff Hitchcock, Chief Revenue Officer of Red Cat, also highlighted the importance of the advancement. “Successfully expanding from single to three-drone operations reflects not only the reliability of our drones and Palladyne’s AI software, but also the capability of onboard systems to independently handle complex missions,” he said.
According to Hitchcock, the system enhances battlefield efficiency by increasing situational awareness and reducing the number of operators needed to manage multiple drones. Both companies see the development as a crucial step towards deploying collaborative autonomous systems in real-world defence operations.
