Short Range Reconnaissance
US Army programme of record for platoon-level reconnaissance quadcopters; Skydio and Red Cat selected.
Last refreshed: 30 March 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why is every US Army platoon getting its own reconnaissance drone?
Latest on Short Range Reconnaissance
- What is the Army's SRR drone programme?
- The Short Range Reconnaissance programme is the US Army's first programme of record for platoon-level quadcopter drones, requiring a system under five pounds with 30+ minutes of flight time.Source: background
- Which company makes the Army's small reconnaissance drone?
- Skydio won both Tranche 1 and Tranche 2 production contracts. Red Cat Holdings was also selected as a Tranche 2 finalist with the Black Widow platform.Source: quick_facts
- How fast was the $52 million Skydio order?
- The Army placed the $52 million order with Skydio in just 72 hours in March 2026, the fastest drone procurement in Army history.Source: background
- Does every Army platoon get a drone?
- The SRR programme embeds reconnaissance quadcopters as standard platoon equipment under the Transformation in Contact doctrine. Over 16 brigades have been fielded since 2022.Source: background
- What is the difference between SRR Tranche 1 and 2?
- Tranche 1 fielded Skydio platforms to 16+ brigades from 2022. Tranche 2 incorporates battlefield feedback into updated requirements and adds Red Cat as a second vendor.Source: background
Background
The Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) programme is the US Army's first programme of record for small quadcopter drones at platoon level, requiring a system under five pounds with at least 30 minutes of flight time. Red Cat Holdings was selected as a Tranche 2 finalist alongside Skydio, which won both Tranche 1 and Tranche 2 production contracts.
Tranche 1 fielding began in September 2022 with Skydio's platform, reaching over 16 brigades by early 2026. Tranche 2 incorporates battlefield feedback into updated requirements. In March 2026, the Army placed a $52 million order with Skydio in just 72 hours, the fastest drone procurement in Army history.
SRR is central to the Army's Transformation in Contact (TiC) doctrine, which embeds networked reconnaissance drones as standard platoon equipment rather than specialist attachments. The programme's multi-vendor approach deliberately maintains competition to drive costs down.