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Drones: Industry & Defence
1OCT

Two Ukrainian firms enter Pentagon gauntlet

2 min read
15:21UTC

Two Ukrainian drone makers joined the Pentagon's Drone Dominance Phase 2 field, one partnering Phase 1 leader Skycutter, as Stage 1 opens at Camp Grayling, Michigan.

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TechnologyDeveloping

Two Ukrainian drone manufacturers entered the field for the Pentagon Drone Dominance Phase 2 Gauntlet, confirmed on 3 June, with one named as a partner of Phase 1 leader Skycutter⁠1. Drone Dominance is the Pentagon's $1.1bn programme to buy more than 300,000 one-way attack drones by 2027; the Gauntlet is its competitive proving ground, with Stage 1 at Camp Grayling, Michigan.

Skycutter, the London-based startup, won Phase 1 outright flying a Ukrainian-built Shrike 10 Fibre FPV (first-person-view) drone. The two new Ukrainian entrants extend that combat lineage directly into the US field. They arrive as the programme stops looking startup-only: Northrop Grumman was named a preferred payload provider in May, tasked with arming the FPV fleet.

Northrop's payload role reshapes what a startup win is worth, because whoever defines the common payload shapes every airframe that follows, regardless of who builds it. For the Ukrainian firms, the question is whether competing inside the programme secures a procurement foothold that survives a future ceasefire, or whether the primes integrate them on the primes' terms.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

The Pentagon is running a competition called Drone Dominance to find the best attack drones for the US military. Phase 1 was won by a company called Skycutter, a London startup that used a Ukrainian-built drone platform. In Phase 2, the competition has expanded and now includes two Ukrainian companies directly. Stage 1 of Phase 2 runs 8-20 June at a military training base in Michigan called Camp Grayling. The drones are tested on realistic combat tasks. Whatever performs best at the lowest cost gets large procurement orders. The Ukrainian companies are competing alongside American firms and FPV racing specialists who have adapted their skills from the sport.

Deep Analysis
Root Causes

Two Ukrainian firms entering the Phase 2 field reflects a structural change in how the Pentagon perceives combat-validated foreign entrants. Phase 1's acceptance of Skycutter, a London-based firm using a Ukrainian-built platform, normalised the precedent. The Gauntlet's programme structure, administered by Joint Interagency Task Force 401, does not require US-origin hardware, only performance and security-of-supply assurances.

Skycutter's partnership with one of the Ukrainian entrants accelerates the integration: the Ukrainian firm brings combat-hardened FPV design experience while Skycutter provides the US regulatory familiarity and procurement relationships acquired in Phase 1.

Sources:DroneXL
Mentions:Ukraine →Pentagon →United States →Northrop Grumman →Michigan →London →Neros →Camp Grayling →Drone Dominance →Skycutter →
First Reported In

Update #11 · Ukraine starts exporting the factory

DroneXL· 7 Jun 2026
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Causes and effects
Caused by
Northrop banks two drone awards in one week
Northrop Grumman's payload-standard award (ID:3515) established the heritage-prime presence in Drone Dominance that frames two Ukrainian firms competing in Phase 2.
Occurred 18 May 2026
Read story →
This Event
Two Ukrainian firms enter Pentagon gauntlet
Ukrainian combat-iterated designs are now competing inside a flagship US procurement programme, not just supplying it from outside.
Led to
Pentagon orders 120 drones in five weeks
Skycutter's June Phase 2 entry alongside Ukrainian firms carried through to the final-stage cut.
Occurred 1 Jul 2026
Read story →
Different Perspectives
Israel Defense Forces (Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir)
Israel Defense Forces (Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir)
The IDF finalised a new Unmanned Systems and Artificial Intelligence Branch on 10 September, with full inauguration expected by early December. Israel is reorganising its forces around drones while Israeli suppliers pass into foreign hands: US-listed Ondas bought the fuze maker GATE on 14 September.
EHang (chairman and chief executive Huazhi Hu)
EHang (chairman and chief executive Huazhi Hu)
EHang withdrew its 600 million yuan revenue guidance on 25 August, blaming a more cautious Chinese regulator after industry air incidents. China's leading pilotless-aircraft maker now seeks first approvals in Sri Lanka and Thailand while US tariffs and FCC rules shut Chinese parts out of allied supply chains.
DroneShield
DroneShield
The Australian firm won one of ten Domestic Shield ceilings, $500m, on 29 September, while its FY2027-and-beyond committed revenue stood at A$46m. Its own filing warns investors that the US award may never turn into orders.
Pete Hegseth, US Secretary of War
Pete Hegseth, US Secretary of War
In a speech at Quantico on 30 September Hegseth announced AUTOWARCOM, a four-star drone command targeted for 1 October 2027 if Congress agrees, and called Drone Dominance and JIATF-401 a good start. He wants one command with its own budget to buy at the scale those two efforts have not reached.
Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA)
Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA)
A DAPA-chaired committee approved a 2.16 trillion won domestic programme on 15 September for an army vertical take-off reconnaissance drone, running from 2027 to 2036. Seoul is choosing slow domestic development over urgent imports for its divisional surveillance.
Taiwan's Executive Yuan (Cabinet)
Taiwan's Executive Yuan (Cabinet)
After the Legislative Yuan voted 60 to 50 on 27 August for a baseline of NT$40bn a year, in principle, for domestic drones and rejected its special budget, the Cabinet said on 30 August it would expedite funding and indicated it would co-sign the act. Taipei gets a statutory domestic market but loses a ring-fenced multi-year fund.