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Teal to supply Golden Eagle drones to US Customs and Border Protection

Security, defense, and law enforcement UAV specialist Teal Drones has continued expanding its business base by landing a $1 million-plus contract with the US Customs and Border Protection service to supply its high-performance Golden Eagle craft.

Since its 2014 founding, Utah-based Teal has earned itself an admirable reputation for developing UAVs for security deployment, and since its 2021 acquisition by Red Cat Holdings has begun rapidly raising its profile and level of activity with defense and law enforcement clients. The latest example of that effort is the $1,046,806 contract it won this month to supply its premium Golden Eagle drones, accessories, and training to US Customs and Border Protection.

Read: Teal Drones tapped for US Army’s Short Range Reconnaissance Tranche 2 bid 

The deal was made possible by Teal’s 2020 inclusion in the Blue sUAS list of drones cleared for use by the Department of Defense and other US government agencies. As such, the company was one of five UAV manufacturers that qualified for the $90 million Blanket Purchase Agreement of equipment that US Customs and Border Protection announced in December 2021, covering a five-year period.

Teal’s new contract within that is obviously a small percentage of its total spending, though it may be a sign some of the remaining business may also come the company’s way.

Teal’s Golden Eagle drones will provide US Customs and Border Protection personnel aerial reconnaissance, surveillance, and tracking capabilities, enhancing situational awareness for field commanders and agents in zones where monitoring by planes, helicopters, or stationary tech isn’t possible. 

“As a market leader in military-grade drones, and especially night-specific drones, we look forward to providing Teal’s Golden Eagle product to the government personnel who are responsible for protecting the American people and safeguarding our borders,” said Red Cat CEO Jeff Thompson. “Because Red Cat has invested in a large, new manufacturing facility for Teal in Salt Lake City, we are confident in our ability to meet the delivery deadline for this significant order, as well as future orders we anticipate under this BPA with US Customs and Border Protection.”

Teal also remains in the running to develop a prototype craft in a final stage of the US Army’s Short Range Reconnaissance Tranche 2.

The company has also supplied Ukraine’s armed forces with Golden Eagle drones for defense missions against invading the Russian army. Teal says onboard tech includes a high-resolution 4K camera and forward-looking infrared thermographic sensor; Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 mobile computing platform; obstacle avoidance system; full-blown data security; and an acoustic-masking makeup that make it nearly inaudible.

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Avatar for Bruce Crumley Bruce Crumley

Bruce Crumley is journalist and writer who has worked for Fortune, Sports Illustrated, the New York Times, The Guardian, AFP, and was Paris correspondent and bureau chief for Time magazine specializing in political and terrorism reporting. He splits his time between Paris and Biarritz, and is the author of novel Maika‘i Stink Eye.