A fiber-optic unmanned aerial vehicle is one step closer to official deployment with the US Army after topping the first phase of the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance program.
Born out of a collaboration between Ukrainian firm SkyFall and UK-based Skycutter, the Shrike 10 Fiber platform netted a total of 99.3 points in the program’s opening gauntlet.
Military operators evaluated the system, ranking it third overall among competitors but giving it high marks for production readiness and supply chain reliability.
Tests also measured strike accuracy at ranges up to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) and against multiple urban targets, where the drone ranked first and second in the respective categories.
“A fixed-wing drone will perform differently than a quadcopter inside a building. A drone optimized for agility may struggle in a long-range strike,” officials overseeing the competition said, noting the variety of systems that joined the first phase of the competition.
“Those differences are a design choice. This Gauntlet was about selecting existing technology to meet the needs of warfighters right now — not expecting all drones to do all things.”
California-based Neros emerged as Skycutter’s closest rival, finishing 12 points behind with 87.5 points. Napatree, ModalAI, and Auterion followed with 80.3, 77.7, and 77 points, respectively.
‘Drone Dominance Program’
The Pentagon’s Drone Dominance program carries a $1.1 billion budget and included more than 25 participants in the first phase.
The goal is to identify top performing drone systems for eventual deployment with the US Army.
With the Shrike 10 Fiber wrapping up the first gauntlet, the department reportedly plans to purchase 30,000 drones from 11 vendors for a total of $150 million.
Skycutter, finishing first, will receive the largest order of 2,500 units, with the remaining allocations distributed based on final rankings in the first gauntlet.
The program will continue with three more gauntlets, offering additional delivery orders.
Firms that missed out in the first gauntlet are eligible to compete in future rounds.
