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Gauntlet II
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Event

Gauntlet II

Pentagon drone finals; 19 of 49 firms advanced 2 July; Fort Carson build test, August.

On 18 September, Gauntlet II named ten attack-drone winners for orders of about 60,000 units, completing a Pentagon competition built to test whether suppliers could manufacture at scale.

Last refreshed: 1 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

Which company will win the Pentagon's contract for 60,000 drones in August?

Timeline for Gauntlet II

#18 18 Sept

Produced ten ranked vendors and about 60,000 orders

Drones: Industry & Defence: DIU ranks Gauntlet II drone winners
#17 6 Aug

Mentioned in: Unusual Machines revenue up 687%, auditor sacked

Drones: Industry & Defence
#17 5 Aug

Mentioned in: Beijing puts US drone parts on licence

Drones: Industry & Defence
#15 3 Jul

Structured the five-week build sprint and follow-on order

Drones: Industry & Defence: Gauntlet II sets five-week build sprint
#14 1 Jul

Mentioned in: Pentagon orders 120 drones in five weeks

Drones: Industry & Defence
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Background

Gauntlet II is the second phase of the Pentagon's competitive attack-drone procurement programme. It identifies suppliers able to provide autonomous systems at production scale, with performance assessed under conditions designed to test more than a single successful prototype. The programme's July 2026 finalist round required delivery of 120 armed drones per firm before evaluation at Fort Carson.

The competition follows Gauntlet I and forms part of a wider US effort to expand autonomous military capacity. Its qualification rules have included resilience against electronic warfare and restrictions on components from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.

Gauntlet II also connects procurement with the Pentagon's Lethality Prize: prize winners enter its preferred munitions list. That link makes the programme a continuing selection mechanism for drone suppliers and payload developers, rather than a standalone fly-off.

Key Issues
Drone procurement

Gauntlet II names ten winners

On 18 September, the Defense Innovation Unit named ten winners in Gauntlet II's attack-drone contest, split evenly between two categories. Officials put the resulting orders at about 60,000 drones, making the competition a route into a large Pentagon procurement programme.

The outcome followed a production test rather than a conventional prototype contest. On 2 July, the Pentagon had cut 49 firms to 19 finalists and required each to deliver 120 armed drones within roughly five weeks for an August Fort Carson evaluation. That structure made manufacturing capacity part of the qualification standard for Gauntlet II itself.

Common Questions
What do Gauntlet II finalists have to build?
Each of the 19 surviving finalists must build and deliver 120 armed drones within roughly five weeks of the 2 July 2026 cut, ahead of a live-fire evaluation at Fort Carson in August 2026.Source: Lowdown drones-industry-defence
Which companies made it to the Gauntlet II finals?
On 2 July 2026 the Pentagon advanced 19 of the original 49 companies to Gauntlet II's final evaluation stage, cutting 30 firms that had tested at Camp Grayling through 20 June. The specific finalist list has not been officially published.Source: Lowdown drones-industry-defence
Who won the Pentagon's Lethality Prize drone challenge?
Mountain Horse Solutions, a Global Ordnance subsidiary, won the Pentagon's first Drone Dominance Lethality Prize Challenge on 29 April 2026, eight days after the stated 21 April announcement target. Partners included Gale Force Marine, Argus Industrial, and Crucial Defense Technologies. Winners join Gauntlet II's preferred munitions list.Source: federal-government
How much is the Pentagon spending on drones in 2027?
The FY2027 DoD budget request, released 21 April 2026, allocated $54.6 billion to the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group, up from $225.9 million in FY2026 — a 24,100% single-cycle increase. Total drone and counter-drone spending reached $70 billion. Two new programmes, Pegasus Charge and Ironhorse Rebirth, appeared for the first time.Source: federal-government
How many drones does the US military want from Gauntlet II?
The Pentagon requirement is 50,000 to 60,000 autonomous drones, making Gauntlet II one of the largest drone procurement programmes in US military history by unit count.Source: drones-industry-defence update 5
Why is the Pentagon buying 50,000 to 60,000 drones at once?
The Gauntlet II requirement reflects the DoD's conclusion that swarming mass will be decisive in near-peer conflict, particularly against China. The Replicator initiative drives the logic: affordable attritable autonomous systems overwhelm an adversary's counter-drone capacity by volume. The FY2027 $54.6 billion DAWG budget increase signals this is a multi-year strategic posture, not a one-off procurement.Source: federal-government
What is the difference between Gauntlet I and Gauntlet II?
Gauntlet I established the baseline evaluation framework and qualified supplier shortlist for Pentagon drone procurement. Gauntlet II is the production phase, scheduled August 2026, with a 50,000 to 60,000 unit requirement and a mass-production contract outcome. Gauntlet II incorporates Lethality Prize winners into its preferred munitions list, creating a performance-to-production pipeline.Source: federal-government
What is Gauntlet II and when does it happen?
Gauntlet II is the Pentagon's second-phase drone procurement competition, scheduled for August 2026. It requires 50,000 to 60,000 autonomous drones and is expected to result in a mass-production contract — one of the largest single drone procurement exercises in US military history by unit count. It follows Gauntlet I and is linked to the Replicator initiative for cheap attritable mass.Source: federal-government