Second Quarter 2026
Filed Aug 6, 2026Red Cat Reports Q2 2026 Revenue Growth of 527% Y/Y; Q2 Gross Margins Increase 39% vs Q2 2025; Gross Margins Increased 27% Sequentially From Q1 2026
Revenue increased 527% year-over-year and gross margin improved year-over-year and sequentially, while the company reported a $35,259 thousand net loss and $78,749 thousand of net cash used in operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2026.
Key metrics
as reported| Metric | Value | q/q | y/y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues, netGAAP | $ 20,189 (in thousands) | – | 527% |
| Cost of goods soldGAAP | 16,929 (in thousands) | – | – |
| Gross profitGAAP | 3,260 (in thousands) | – | – |
| Gross marginGAAP | 16.1% | sequential improvement of 27% from Q1 2026 | year-over-year improvement of 39% from Q2 2025 |
| Research and development expenseGAAP | 14,219 (in thousands) | – | – |
| Sales and marketing expenseGAAP | 6,439 (in thousands) | – | – |
| General and administrative expenseGAAP | 21,247 (in thousands) | – | – |
| Total operating expensesGAAP | 41,905 (in thousands) | – | – |
| Operating lossGAAP | (38,645) (in thousands) | – | – |
| Interest income, netGAAP | (1,925) (in thousands) | – | – |
| Other (income) expense, netGAAP | (1,484) (in thousands) | – | – |
| Total other (income) expense, netGAAP | (3,409) (in thousands) | – | – |
| Loss before provision for income taxesGAAP | (35,236) (in thousands) | – | – |
| Income tax expenseGAAP | 23 (in thousands) | – | – |
| Net lossGAAP | (35,259) (in thousands) | – | – |
| Loss per share - basic and dilutedGAAP | $ (0.26) | – | – |
| Weighted average shares outstanding - basic and dilutedGAAP | 136,888 | – | – |
| Six Months Ended June 30 Revenues, netGAAP | $ 35,660 (in thousands) | – | – |
| Six Months Ended June 30 Cost of goods soldGAAP | 30,435 (in thousands) | – | – |
| Six Months Ended June 30 Gross profit (loss)GAAP | 5,225 (in thousands) | – | – |
| Six Months Ended June 30 Total operating expensesGAAP | 71,171 (in thousands) | – | – |
| Six Months Ended June 30 Operating lossGAAP | (65,946) (in thousands) | – | – |
| Six Months Ended June 30 Net lossGAAP | (61,812) (in thousands) | – | – |
| Six Months Ended June 30 Loss per share - basic and dilutedGAAP | $ (0.48) | – | – |
| Six Months Ended June 30 Weighted average shares outstanding - basic and dilutedGAAP | 128,924 | – | – |
| Six Months Ended June 30 Net cash used in operating activitiesGAAP | (78,749) (in thousands) | – | – |
full year outlook
- Revenuein the range of $150 million and $180 million
- NoteRed Cat is reaffirming its full year target revenue.
What drove it
- Revenue increased more than fivefold year-over-year as the company scaled deliveries and expanded production capacity.
- The company attributed gross-margin expansion to scale, production efficiencies and a more diversified product portfolio.
- Teal Drones advanced to Gauntlet II of the Drone Dominance Program.
- Red Cat completed the acquisition of Quaze Technologies, adding wireless power transfer technology.
- Blue Ops drove the Variant 7 uncrewed surface vessel to full-rate production and launched and validated the latest variant of its 5 meter USV.
- The company secured new orders from the U.S. Air Force Security Forces for Black Widow drones, train-the-trainer support, batteries and mission critical spares.
Concerns
- The company reported an operating loss of (38,645) (in thousands) in the second quarter and a net loss of (35,259) (in thousands).
- Total operating expenses were 41,905 (in thousands), compared with 13,022 (in thousands) in the prior-year quarter.
- Net cash used in operating activities was (78,749) (in thousands) for the six months ended June 30, 2026, compared with (28,805) (in thousands) in the prior-year period.
- Inventory, including prepaid inventory, was 84,844 (in thousands) at June 30, 2026, compared with 30,394 (in thousands) at December 31, 2025.
- The full-year revenue target remains a range of $150 million and $180 million while revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2026 was $ 35,660 (in thousands).
What to watch
- Execution toward the reaffirmed full-year target revenue in the range of $150 million and $180 million.
- Whether scale, production efficiencies and product portfolio diversification continue to support gross-margin improvement.
- Delivery and production progress for Black Widow, Hellcat and the Variant 7 USV.
- Progress of Teal Drones in Gauntlet II of the Drone Dominance Program and potential procurement outcomes.
- Operating cash use and inventory levels as the company expands manufacturing capacity and production.
Balance sheet and cash flow
- Cash at June 30, 2026 totaled $325.6 million, compared to $167.9 million at December 31, 2025.
- Inventory and prepaid inventory at June 30, 2026 totaled $84.8 million, compared to $30.4 million at December 31, 2025.
- Accounts receivable, net: 9,543 (in thousands) at June 30, 2026, compared to 26,155 (in thousands) at December 31, 2025.
- Debt obligations - short-term: 892 (in thousands) at June 30, 2026, compared to 350 (in thousands) at December 31, 2025.
- Total assets: $ 527,487 (in thousands) at June 30, 2026, compared to $ 273,677 (in thousands) at December 31, 2025.
- Total liabilities: 56,312 (in thousands) at June 30, 2026, compared to 27,845 (in thousands) at December 31, 2025.
- Total stockholders’ equity: 471,175 (in thousands) at June 30, 2026, compared to 245,832 (in thousands) at December 31, 2025.
- Six Months Ended June 30 net cash used in operating activities: (78,749) (in thousands), compared to (28,805) (in thousands).
- Six Months Ended June 30 inventory cash-flow change: (49,937) (in thousands), compared to (3,219) (in thousands).
- Six Months Ended June 30 prepaid inventory cash-flow change: (4,513) (in thousands), compared to (4,185) (in thousands).
Analysis
Red Cat reported second-quarter revenue of $ 20,189 (in thousands), compared with $ 3,219 (in thousands) in the prior-year quarter, and characterized the increase as 527%. Gross profit was 3,260 (in thousands), compared with 375 (in thousands), while gross margin was 16.1%. The company stated that gross margin improved 39% year-over-year from Q2 2025 and 27% sequentially from Q1 2026, citing scale, production efficiencies and a more diversified product portfolio.
The higher revenue base did not offset the company’s operating-cost expansion. Research and development expense was 14,219 (in thousands), sales and marketing expense was 6,439 (in thousands), and general and administrative expense was 21,247 (in thousands). Total operating expenses reached 41,905 (in thousands), resulting in an operating loss of (38,645) (in thousands) and a net loss of (35,259) (in thousands). Loss per share, basic and diluted, was $ (0.26).
For the six months ended June 30, 2026, revenue was $ 35,660 (in thousands), gross profit was 5,225 (in thousands), and net loss was (61,812) (in thousands). Net cash used in operating activities was (78,749) (in thousands), compared with (28,805) (in thousands) in the six months ended June 30, 2025. The cash-flow statement identifies inventory of (49,937) (in thousands) and prepaid inventory of (4,513) (in thousands) among the operating cash-flow changes.
Liquidity expanded, with cash of $325.6 million at June 30, 2026 compared with $167.9 million at December 31, 2025. Inventory and prepaid inventory rose to $84.8 million from $30.4 million over the same balance-sheet comparison. The company also reported a completed Quaze Technologies acquisition, Variant 7 full-rate production, additional U.S. Air Force Security Forces orders, and advancement of Teal Drones to Gauntlet II of the Drone Dominance Program.
Red Cat reaffirmed its full-year target revenue in the range of $150 million and $180 million. No gross-margin, operating-expense, tax-rate, earnings, cash-flow or capital-return outlook was provided. The central reported execution items are delivery and production scaling, margin progression, inventory investment, operating cash use and progress across the defense procurement and autonomy initiatives described by management.
Management, verbatim
Our second quarter results reflect the continued execution of a strategy that is transforming Red Cat into a leading all-domain autonomy platform for defense and national security.
Jeff Thompson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Red Cat
Revenue increased more than fivefold year-over-year as we scaled deliveries, expanded production capacity and continued to invest in technologies that enhance our competitive position across air, land and maritime operations.
Jeff Thompson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Red Cat
With more than $325 million of cash on the balance sheet, expanding manufacturing capacity and a growing Family of Systems spanning air, land and sea, we believe Red Cat is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the accelerating adoption of unmanned and autonomous systems.
Jeff Thompson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Red Cat
Not in the filing
stated, not guessed- Prior outlook was not provided, so no comparison of actual results with prior guidance is available.
- Segment revenue and segment profitability were not reported.
- Non-GAAP revenue, gross profit, operating income, net income, EPS, and reconciliations were not reported.
- Quarterly operating cash flow was not reported. The filing provided cash flow only for the six months ended June 30.
- Free cash flow was not reported.
- Cash flows from investing activities and financing activities were not included in the provided filing text, which ends at the beginning of that section.
- Share repurchases, dividends, and other capital-return activity were not reported.
- Long-term debt was not reported as a separate debt-obligation line item.
- Gross-margin amounts for Q2 2025 and Q1 2026 were not reported on the gross-margin line.
- Prior-quarter figures for the reported income-statement metrics were not reported.
- CFO commentary was not provided.
AlphaAI analysis generated from the company’s SEC earnings filing (Form 8-K Item 2.02, or Form 6-K for a foreign private issuer). Every figure was cross-checked against the filing text; consensus estimates, price targets and share-price reactions are not shown because they are not in the filing. AI-generated research, not investment advice.