Which Ukrainian manufacturers advanced in the race for Pentagon contracts: Drone Dominance Gauntlet II Qualifier results

From 8 to 19 June, the US Department of War held qualification trials for unmanned systems as part of the second phase of its Drone Dominance programme. Forty-nine teams took part in the selection, including at least five linked to Ukrainian manufacturers.

The qualification results identified 19 participants for the main phase, where they will compete for Pentagon contracts. Nearly all Ukrainian-linked entrants progressed to the final stage:

• F-Drones, represented in Drone Dominance by US company Ukrainian Defense Drones Tech Corp.;
• General Cherry, represented by Wilcox Cherry Defense LLC, a joint venture with US-based Wilcox Industries;
• Grim Tech;
• Stellarion.

The 19 qualified teams also include UK company Skycutter, which won the previous Drone Dominance phase with the Shrike 10 Fiber drone developed by Ukrainian company SkyFall. However, SkyFall has not yet confirmed its participation in the second phase.

UDD Tech Corp., linked to F-Drones, was also among the winners of the first phase. Following that competition, the company received a Pentagon contract to supply 2,000 F10 FPV drones.

Of the Ukrainian companies that publicly announced their participation in the second phase of Drone Dominance, only one failed to advance: BlueBird Tech, which entered the competition through its US legal entity, Zaruba.

General Cherry said that, during the qualification stage, drones are operated by the developers themselves. In the Gauntlet II final, however, the systems will be assessed by serving US military personnel.

During the selection phase, participants demonstrated their systems’ capabilities in daytime and night-time conditions across two mission categories: Long Range Strike and Tactical Assault in Confined Environments.

The next stage of Gauntlet II will take place in August 2026 at Fort Carson, Colorado.

To secure the right to participate in the final stage, all selected companies must complete a production task: manufacture and deliver 120 drones with combat payloads within five weeks.

Drone Dominance is a US Department of War programme designed to identify leading drone manufacturers and procure their products. The selection process is divided into phases — Gauntlet I, Gauntlet II and subsequent rounds. Each phase includes qualification trials and a main competition, after which 10 winning companies are selected.

The second phase will run from August 2026 to January 2027. At its conclusion, the Pentagon plans to procure 60,000 drones from 10 winners, with higher-ranked companies receiving larger contracts. The programme’s official timeline lists Gauntlet II for August 2026 and says the initiative aims to procure more than 200,000 drones by 2027.