Defender Media: Ukraine’s battle-tested drone makers reach no top slot in Pentagon’s $1.1 billion Drone Dominance program, but some Ukrainian technology wins anyway
American firms took every top slot, but some Ukrainian tech won quietly under Western partners.
The Pentagon's Drone Dominance program, valued at $1.1 billion, did not see any Ukrainian drone makers secure top positions. Despite this, certain Ukrainian technologies managed to secure contracts under the auspices of Western partners, according to The Defender Media. The contest prohibited direct purchases from Ukrainian companies, requiring them to establish a US legal entity.
This barrier, coupled with export licenses, sourcing of non-Chinese components, and visa complications, hindered Ukrainian firms from reaching the top five in both long-range strike (out to 15 kilometers) and close-in assault categories. In the long-range category, Perennial Autonomy, led by Eric Schmidt, garnered 80.1 points, while Neros, already supplying Ukraine with 6,000 Archer FPV drones, topped the close-in category with 88.1 points.
Other winners, from ORQA's US arm, XTEND, and ModalAI, were also American. All successful firms will receive Pentagon supply contracts, with order sizes to be determined. Meanwhile, Ukrainian companies that entered the contest – F-Drones, General Chereshnya, Grim Tech, and Stellarion – did not advance beyond the second round, citing bureaucratic delays, component sourcing issues, and visa delays as the primary obstacles.
These firms, however, retain the opportunity to participate in subsequent rounds, including the Gauntlet 2.5 contest for bomber drones scheduled for October and a third phase commencing in February 2027.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
