Red Cat, a military technology company integrating robotic hardware and software to protect and support the warfighter, is pleased to announce its new military-grade sUAS, the Teal 2, has received clearance from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to be designated as a Blue UAS.
The Blue UAS Cleared List is a select group of DoD-approved drones for government users. According to the DoD, these drones “are NDAA compliant, validated as cyber-secure and safe to fly, and are available for government purchase and operation.”
The Teal 2 is the second sUAS from Red Cat subsidiary Teal Drones to have passed the rigorous testing required for Blue UAS clearance.
Teal’s legacy sUAS, the Golden Eagle, received a $1,046,806 contract from 2022 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Multi-Award Champion, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), to provide Teal’s high-performance Golden Eagle drone to U.S. Border Patrol in October, is also on the cleared list, which currently includes fewer than 20 drones.
(Meet the Teal 2 – an American-made sUAS developed under strict design guidelines that earned it a Blue UAS Certification by the U.S. Department of Defense. Courtesy of Teal Drones and YouTube.)
The Teal 2’s primary application is short-range reconnaissance missions. Combat soldiers, police officers, firefighters, wildlife managers, and industrial inspectors rely on the Teal 2 to achieve mission success.
Blue UAS is an initiative of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), the only DoD organization focused on accelerating the adoption of commercial and dual-use technology to solve operational challenges at speed and scale. This acceleration strengthens national security and helps grow the national security innovation base.
“Blue UAS clearance is a high bar to reach for any sUAS because of the extensive vetting process,” explains Teal Founder and CEO George Matus.
“With this certification, all our customers – military, government, and commercial – can be confident that the Teal 2 meets the highest standards for cybersecurity, safety, and operation.”
Officially launched in April, the Teal 2 is designed to Dominate the Night™ and arrives as one of the world’s leading sUAS for night operations.
The Teal 2 is the first sUAS equipped with the new Hadron 640R sensor from 2022 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Award Champion Teledyne FLIR, which provides end users with the highest resolution thermal imaging in a small form factor.
(See how the Hadron™ 640R pairs a performance-leading 640×512 resolution radiometric Boson® thermal camera with a 64MP visible camera in a single easy-to-integrate module. With a size, weight, and power (SWaP) optimized design, it is an ideal dual sensor payload for integration into unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), unmanned ground vehicles (UGV), robotic platforms, and AI-ready applications where battery life and run-time are mission-critical. Courtesy of Teledyne FLIR and YouTube.)
The Teal 2 also offers the latest intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance technology, delivering time-critical information and enabling operators to make faster, smarter decisions.
“Blue UAS certification opens the door to greater opportunities for Teal 2,” added Matus.
“We can now fill orders that were contingent on certification, and in addition to orders from the U.S. government, we know that governments of allied nations are also more likely to purchase Blue UAS-approved drones.”
Red Cat integrates robotic hardware and software to provide critical situational awareness and actionable intelligence to on-the-ground warfighters and battlefield commanders.
Its mission is to enhance the effectiveness and safety of military operations domestically and globally. Red Cat’s suite of solutions includes Teal Drones, developer of the Teal 2, a small unmanned system with the highest resolution imaging for nighttime operations, and Skypersonic, a leading provider of unmanned aircraft for interior spaces and other dangerous environments.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Honored in 2022 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards
American Security Today’s Annual ‘ASTORS’ Awards is the preeminent U.S. Homeland Security Awards Program, and now in its Eighth Year, continues to recognize industry leaders of Physical and Border Security, Cybersecurity, Emergency Preparedness – Management and Response, Law Enforcement, First Responders, as well as federal, state and municipal government agencies in the acknowledgment of their outstanding efforts to Keep our Nation Secure.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (First of Three)
Excellence in Homeland Security
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CBP One™
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) developed CBP One™, a mobile application to serve as a single portal for travelers and stakeholders to interact virtually with CBP.
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More importantly, this platform served as a vital tool to combat the impact of the influx of undocumented non-citizens at the southern border.
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CBP One™ consolidates OFO’s mobile application development within a single platform for travelers and stakeholders to interact virtually with CBP, and direct each user to the appropriate travel or trade services based on their needs.
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This initiative was particularly innovative in that the new approach created the most agile mobile platform that empowered CBP to quickly implement vital services to ensure efficient Ports of Entry (POE) Operations, enhanced services for travelers, and provided unprecedented transparency for stakeholders.
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The CBP One™ platform was developed to be highly adaptable to implement new capabilities quickly by leveraging core capabilities such as document scanning, video conference licenses, liveness verification, facial matching, global positioning services (GPS), and plug-ins for interactive messaging.
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These capabilities, combined with an agile approach to operational analysis, requirements development, and programming, have resulted in significantly reduced timelines for implementing new capabilities.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (Second of Three)
Excellence in Homeland Security
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Global Entry (GE) Modernization Initiative
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Global Entry (GE), is a CBP program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. Members enter the United States through automatic kiosks at select airports.
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At airports, program members proceed to Global Entry kiosks, present their machine-readable passport or U.S. permanent resident card, place their fingerprints on the scanner for fingerprint verification and complete a customs declaration.
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The kiosk issues the traveler a transaction receipt and directs the traveler to baggage claim and exit.
(See how the Global Entry (GE) process continues innovating the arrival experience, offering members a streamlined and increasingly contactless processing experience. Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and YouTube. Posted on Mar 29, 2022.)
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CBP began the Global Entry Modernization Initiative in 2018, with the first step involving integrating facial comparison technology into the Global Entry arrival experience.
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This process was greatly accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, and as of April 2022 all Global Entry kiosks have been upgraded to utilize facial comparison technology.
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Facial comparison provides a faster and more secure experience for trusted travelers by automating the comparison of the traveler to their document photo.
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The next step of this Global Entry modernization has been moving airports towards a receipt-less, and touchless process.
(Hear from DEAC Sabatino, and see how the Global Entry (GE) process continues innovating the arrival experience, offering members a streamlined and increasingly contactless processing experience. Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and YouTube. Posted on Mar 29, 2022.)
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During Fiscal Year 2022, CBP upgraded kiosks at 16 airports to no longer issue a receipt, meaning that for the Global Entry traveler, the new process is faster, with fewer touchpoints, and better protects their privacy.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (Third of Three)
Excellence in Homeland Security
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San Diego Field Office, Port of Otay Mesa, California
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On November 18, 2021, CBP officers at Otay Mesa, California Port of Entry had the largest narcotics seizure in CBP history.
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The CBP officers encountered a tractor-trailer arriving from Mexico with auto parts manifested as the commodity they were carrying.
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However, a CBP drug detection dog alerted to the trailer, and a total of 7,976.20 kilograms (17,584.33 pounds) of Methamphetamine and 176.42 kilograms (388.94 pounds) of Fentanyl Pills were discovered by the CBP Officers whose diligence and outstanding enforcement performance resulted in this discovery of the largest fentanyl seizure in history, to date.
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Securing U.S. borders — by air, land, and sea — is central to our national security.
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Even as efforts continue to expand the zone of security away from the physical borders of our nation, highly adaptive criminal networks attempt to exploit vulnerabilities in enforcement capabilities between the ports of entry.
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At the ports, criminals attempt to conceal their activities within the legitimate flow of trade and travel. Between the ports of entry, human and narcotic traffickers exploit gaps in terrain access, visual surveillance, and deterrence infrastructure.
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Trade is growing at an unprecedented rate, and CBP is charged with facilitating lawful trade, creating a level playing field for American businesses, protecting consumers, and reducing business costs.
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With the value of imports nearing $3 trillion, the amount of international trade crossing U.S. borders has never been higher. An important part of this volume is entering via e-commerce channels, express couriers, and international mail, but no longer primarily via air.
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E-commerce shipments are making their way into the U.S. via trucks, trains, ocean vessels, and airplanes. Global supply chains have transformed in the past few decades, making it harder to trace products back to their original source and to pinpoint responsibility across the network of parties involved.
(Learn More about the CBP and their partnerships in securing our nation, in this American Security Today exclusive interview with Frank Russo, Director of Field Operations for New York and New Jersey, facilitated by Dr. Kathleen Kiernan, President of NEC National Security Systems (NSS). Courtesy of AST, My Pristine Images, and YouTub.)
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The world continues to change, in more dynamic ways than ever. CBP remains committed to meeting existing and emerging challenges head-on.
Hear directly from (DEAC) Diane Sabatino in this exclusive interview from the Awards Ceremony, facilitated by Dr. Kathleen Kiernan, President of NEC National Security Systems (NSS), our 2022 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program Platinum Sponsor, who has been recognized for its Fifth Consecutive Year in the ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program.
(U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner (DEAC) Diane Sabatino, at the 2022 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Luncheon in NYC. Courtesy of AST, My Pristine Images, and Vimeo.)
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CBP was also recognized in the 2019, 2018, and 2017 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Programs, respectively. USBP was recognized in the 2019 ‘ASTORS’ Program.
Learn More…
‘ASTORS’ Champion to Supply 1,000 Black Hornet Nano-Drones to Ukraine
