Ukrainian defence companies to take part in the second phase of the Drone Dominance contest in the US

Several Ukrainian defence tech companies have advanced to the second phase of the Drone Dominance programme. This is a trial run by the US Department of War to select the best UAV manufacturers and procure their products.

The second phase of the programme will run from August 2026 to January 2027. At the end of the phase, 10 winners will be selected. The US Army will procure 60,000 drones from them, with higher-ranked companies receiving larger contracts.

The top 10 will be chosen from among 48 companies invited by the Pentagon to participate. Their drones will be tested in several scenarios: long-range strikes and tactical attacks in close-combat conditions.

Among the invited manufacturers is Wilcox Cherry Defense – a joint venture between Ukraine’s General Cherry and the American company Wilcox Industries.

BlueBird Tech has also disclosed to Defender Media that it will take part together with its American partner Zaruba Inc.

The second phase will also feature Ukrainian Defense Drones Tech Corp, which represents Ukrainian manufacturer F-Drones in the US. UDD, with the F10 drone made by F-Drones, was among the winners of the first stage and was selected to supply UAVs to the US Department of War.

Among the participants is British company Skycutter, which scored the highest number of points during the first phase. According to Defender Media sources, Skycutter partnered with Ukrainian company SkyFall for the competition, while the winning drone was the Shrike 10 Fiber.