Drone Dominance Program
US Department of War program to field 340,000+ low-cost one-way-attack small UAS by 2027; executed by the Defense Innovation Unit with NSWC Crane and the S2MARTS consortium.
The Drone Dominance Program (DDP) is a $1.1B multi-phase initiative, sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of War and jointly administered by the Test Resource Management Center (TRMC) and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), with Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane holding contracting authority via the S2MARTS consortium. Announced by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in December 2025, it aims to field over 340,000 low-cost, one-way-attack small UAS for combat units by 2027. Phase I ('Gauntlet') ranked vendors — including finalists Auterion (5th) and Skyfall — for Pentagon delivery orders; Phase II adds a Stage 1 Qualifier Event (June 2026, Camp Grayling, MI) with tougher counter-UAS conditions and a night-operations mission.
Program detail
- Agency
- U.S. Department of War / Defense Innovation Unit
- Acronym
- Budget
- $1.1B
- Phase
- Phase I (Gauntlet)
- Domain
- Unmanned systems
Participants3
- CompanyAuterionOpen-source drone operating system and fleet management software for defense and enterprise.
- CompanySkyfallUkrainian manufacturer of FPV attack drones (Shrike), the Vampire heavy bomber and the P1-SUN interceptor.
- CompanyAeon IndustrialAustin, Texas-based defense manufacturer building Zeus, a low-cost modular guided missile system, and drone/munition fuzes for the Pentagon's Drone Dominance program.
Contracts0
No linked records yet.
Frequently asked
- What is Drone Dominance Program?
- The Drone Dominance Program (DDP) is a $1.1B multi-phase initiative, sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of War and jointly administered by the Test Resource Management Center (TRMC) and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), with Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane holding contracting authority via the S2MARTS consortium. Announced by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in December 2025, it aims to field over 340,000 low-cost, one-way-attack small UAS for combat units by 2027. Phase I ('Gauntlet') ranked vendors — including finalists Auterion (5th) and Skyfall — for Pentagon delivery orders; Phase II adds a Stage 1 Qualifier Event (June 2026, Camp Grayling, MI) with tougher counter-UAS conditions and a night-operations mission.
- Which agency runs Drone Dominance Program?
- Drone Dominance Program is run by U.S. Department of War / Defense Innovation Unit.
- What is the budget for Drone Dominance Program?
- Drone Dominance Program has a budget of $1.1B, currently in its Phase I (Gauntlet) phase.
Sources & citations3
Each claim links to its underlying source. Confidence reflects how directly the source supports the claim.
- 1
$1.1B program announced December 2025 to field 340,000+ low-cost one-way-attack sUAS by 2027; run by the Defense Innovation Unit with NSWC Crane and the S2MARTS consortium
U.S. Department of War: War Department Announces Vendors Invited to Compete in Phase I of the Drone Dominance ProgramVerified2025-12 - 2
Auterion ranked 5th and was among the 11 finalists in Gauntlet I, receiving Pentagon UAS delivery orders
DefenseScoop: British company tops leaderboard for Pentagon's Drone Dominance ProgramVerified2026-03-09 - 3
DDP is sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of War, jointly administered by TRMC and DIU; Phase II requires a Stage 1 Qualifier Event est. June 8-20 2026 at Camp Grayling, MI, with harder cUAS conditions and a night mission
ePropelled: DoW's Drone Dominance Program: Where It Stands Right NowReported2026-07