FANG F7

FANG F7 is a retrievable, 7-inch first-person-view (FPV) drone developed by Teal Drones (marketed as Red Cat Aerial) of the United States, first shown publicly on 8 October 2025. It is the first model in Red Cat's FANG line and is built for low-cost training as well as tactical FPV operations.

Overview

Janes reported that Red Cat unveiled the FANG F7 on 8 October 2025, ahead of that year's AUSA conference in Washington, DC, describing it as the first member of a planned family of FANG FPV drones that is also intended to include 8-inch, 10-inch and 11-inch airframes. Red Cat's product page markets the F7 as "the first NDAA-compliant FPV drone for training and tactical operations," built with U.S.-sourced components to reduce reliance on Chinese-made parts that are common elsewhere in the FPV market. The Defense Post reported that same week that component supplier Unusual Machines had received an $800,000 order from Red Cat to supply FANG parts including cameras, transmitters and motors.

FANG F7 is part of Red Cat's wider Arachnid Family of Systems, which also includes the reconnaissance quadcopter Black Widow, built by the same Teal Drones unit.

Design and capabilities

FANG F7 uses a 7-inch carbon-fibre airframe built around the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) that Red Cat applies across its drone line, letting operators swap payloads and subsystems. Red Cat's current product page lists a folded size of 36.5 × 40 × 9 cm, an unfolded size of 50 × 40 × 22.5 cm, and a weight of 1.2 kg with battery, flying on a 6S1P battery pack with 2807 1300kV motors. The manufacturer quotes a top speed of 97 mph (about 156 km/h), a 1.0 kg rated payload, a control range of up to 10 km without payload (7.5 km when carrying the full payload), and an endurance of 10 to 15 minutes without payload, dropping to about 10 minutes with payload fitted. Janes' report on the October 2025 unveiling gave lower early figures — a 6 lb payload, 5-minute endurance and 75 mph top speed — which the manufacturer's current, more detailed specification sheet supersedes.

Standard fit includes a Picatinny rail for payload mounting, an ESAD connector, an Orqa H7 flight controller, and an IRONghost 5W dual-radio air unit, with day and night-vision camera options. Unlike single-use FPV strike drones, the F7's retrievable design is intended to be flown and recovered repeatedly, lowering the cost of training compared with expendable airframes.

Use cases

Red Cat positions the F7 for two roles: as a low-cost trainer that lets operators build FPV piloting skill without expending a drone on every flight, and as a tactical platform for reconnaissance and precision-effects missions once the Payload Ready (P) and Digital (D) variants, listed by the manufacturer as "coming soon," become available. The manufacturer's product page states the F7 is available for order through the UAS Marketplace, a US government procurement channel, alongside direct sales.

Variants

Red Cat's product page lists three planned configurations: a base trainer version, a Payload Ready (P) version for carrying sensor or effects payloads, and a Digital (D) version with a digital video link; only the base trainer was listed as available at the time of writing, with P and D variants open for early procurement. Janes reported that Red Cat also plans larger 8-inch, 10-inch and 11-inch airframes under the FANG name.

Frequently asked questions

What is the range of the FANG F7?

Up to 10 km without a payload, or 7.5 km when carrying its rated 1.0 kg payload, according to Red Cat Aerial's product page.

How long can the FANG F7 fly?

10 to 15 minutes without payload, or about 10 minutes with payload fitted, per the manufacturer.

How fast is the FANG F7?

Up to 97 mph (about 156 km/h), according to Red Cat Aerial.

Is the FANG F7 reusable?

Yes — unlike expendable strike FPV drones, it is designed to be retrieved and flown repeatedly, which Red Cat markets as a lower-cost alternative for training.

Who makes the FANG F7?

Teal Drones, a Red Cat Holdings company marketed under the "Red Cat Aerial" brand.