The U.S. Border Patrol has purchased more than $1 million worth of surveillance and tracking drones from Red Cat subsidiary Teal Drones.

Under the contract, Teal will provide its Golden Eagle drones to the border patrol, designed as autonomous surveillance devices to offer increased security and protection to agents in typically unmanned areas.

Golden Eagle is one of only five drones approved by the Department of Defense for reconnaissance, public safety and inspection applications. The small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) is designed for short-range missions, and features autonomous capabilities, onboard computer vision, thermal imaging and near real-time photogrammetry.

The contract comes as part of a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) between the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and five drone companies, announced last December, worth up to $90 million over a five-year period. 

“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 Jeff Thompson, Red Cat CEO. “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 U.S. Customs and Border Protection.”

With ongoing uncertainties in the global geopolitical landscape, defense budgets have seen increased investment and autonomous solutions are coming to the forefront as safe, smart methods of providing surveillance and security in high-risk areas.