Red Cat’s drones to get communications and navigation from Sine Engineering

Ukrainian communications and navigation tech developer Sine Engineering has announced a strategic partnership with US company Red Cat, which makes USVs and UAVs. The parties sealed the agreement with a memorandum of understanding that Red Cat signed with Sine Advanced Engineering, Inc., a US company in the Sine group.

The memorandum sets out a framework for long-term commercial and technological cooperation. It covers integrating Sine’s communications and navigation technologies into Red Cat’s autonomous platforms, including the Blue Ops uncrewed boats and the UAVs of the Red Cat Aerial division. At the start of the cooperation, the parties will focus on maritime platforms and distributed networking infrastructure, and then consider integrating Sine’s solutions into the rest of the US company’s portfolio.

Red Cat says it already has experience of successful cooperation with Sine Engineering. In particular, it notes that integrating Sine’s technologies became a key factor behind the successful use of Red Cat’s Hellcat UAV in Ukraine.

The US side expects the partnership to help its unmanned systems maintain control and positioning in the absence of GPS and in the presence of hostile electronic warfare. It says Sine has suitable solutions for this, including resilient communications modules and control and GPS-free navigation tools.

Red Cat CEO Jeff Thompson called Ukraine one of the world’s most important proving grounds for testing electronic warfare and communications systems for drones, and said that battlefield-tested technologies can be combined with American drones.

Red Cat is a public company whose shares trade on the US Nasdaq exchange. Its current market capitalisation is about $700 million.

Earlier, Defender reported that Sine Engineering is launching an R&D centre in Finland and plans to grow the local team to 100 people by the end of 2026. According to the company, its solutions are used by more than 200 Ukrainian drone manufacturers.

US-based Red Cat’s drones to get communications and navigation from Sine Engineering
The companies announced a strategic partnership and signed a memorandum of understanding

Roman Sudolskyy

American reconnaissance UAV Hellcat. Photo: Red Cat