Two Ukrainian companies - "General Chereshnya" and Ukrainian Defense Drones Tech Corp - have officially entered the list of 25 finalists of the large-scale US Department of Defense's Drone Dominance Program. The project, with a total budget of over a billion dollars, aims to saturate the American army with hundreds of thousands of cheap attack drones, and Ukrainian developers have become the only foreign participants in this prestigious selection. This is reported by Defense Express, writes UNN.
Details
The first stage of the competition, called Gauntlet, starts on February 18, 2026. For six weeks, US military operators will test the solutions of 25 companies in real field conditions. By the end of March, the number of participants will be reduced to 12 - they will receive the first contracts for $150 million (30,000 drones per company at a price of about $5,000 per unit). For Ukrainian manufacturers, this is not only a technological challenge but also a struggle with American bureaucracy and Pentagon standards.
"General Chereshnya", known for its FPV interceptors and fiber-optic controlled drones, already has experience in mass production (over 55,000 units for the Armed Forces of Ukraine). However, in the US, they will have to play on "foreign territory" against giants whose systems are already integrated into the US Department of Defense ecosystem.
Key rivals on the path to victory
Among the 23 American competing companies, Defense Express analysts highlight four of the most dangerous players:
Kratos SRE, Inc. - a division of the defense giant Kratos Defense, known for the XQ–58 Valkyrie stealth drone. Although the company specializes in high technology, it has vast experience working with US government contracts.
Auterion Government Solutions - a developer of Skynode S software with machine vision, which is already successfully used in Ukraine. Their Artemis ALM–20 drone is a de facto analogue of the "Shahed" and has already proven its effectiveness in strikes on Russian rear facilities.
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Neros, Inc. - an experienced supplier whose Archer FPV drones with a range of up to 20 km have already been ordered by the American army. The company has the capacity to produce 1500 units per month.
Teal Drones - a company owned by the Red Cat holding and supplying Black Widow reconnaissance quadcopters. Importantly, Red Cat also promotes Ukrainian Magura V7 marine drones in the US market, which indicates a deep understanding of both markets.
The Drone Dominance program is designed for four phases until 2028, during which the Pentagon plans to purchase a total of 340,000 drones. For Ukrainian companies, victory in the first stage will mean not only financial success but also the actual recognition of Ukrainian technologies as a standard for NATO armies.
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