- Shrike 10 Fiber outperformed the competition, scoring more than ten points higher
- F10 drone gets Pentagon contract due to effective elimination of Chinese components
- Fiber optic guidance makes the Shrike drone resistant to electronic warfare
The Pentagon recently selected two Ukrainian drone manufacturers as finalists in its $1.1 billion Drone Dominance program.
For years, Chinese manufacturer DJI has dominated the global market for small drones, but the US military is now actively seeking alternatives that do not rely on components sourced from China.
The first stage of the competition selected 12 companies for contract negotiations, and two Ukrainian firms – SkyFall and Ukrainian Defense Drones Tech Corporation – were included in the list.
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Ukrainian drones skip Chinese components
The top finisher was the Shrike 10 Fiber, a fiber optic FPV drone developed by Ukrainian company SkyFall in collaboration with UK company Skycutter.
The system achieved 99.3 points out of 100, finishing more than ten points ahead of its nearest competitor, an American company, Neros.
The drone uses fiber-optic guidance rather than traditional radio frequencies, making it invulnerable to electronic warfare countermeasures.
The fiber optic coil stretches 20 km, which ensures a stable video feed throughout the flight.
It carries up to 1 kilogram of warhead mass. SkyFall declined to comment on its participation, asking to wait for official announcements.
Sixth place, Ukrainian Defense Drones Tech Corporation, presented a different value proposition to US procurement officials.
The company’s F10 strike quadcopter scored 72.9 points and earned a place among the 11 winners of the first phase that will share an initial procurement budget of $150 million.
The quadcopter was chosen in large part because the company has systematically eliminated Chinese components from its supply chain.
After starting drone production in 2023 with Chinese parts, the company localized carbon frame and antenna production in 2024.
By 2025, it had expanded to manufacture flight controllers, speed governors and video transmission systems in-house or through European suppliers.
The Drone Dominance program is structured as a four-stage competition — the first stage will result in orders for about 30,000 systems at $5,000 each. drone.
First place will receive up to 2,500 orders, while the 11thth and 12th places will get 1,500 and 1,400 orders respectively.
Subsequent phases will increase order volumes and at the same time reduce cost targets per unit and the number of participating companies
Phase two will procure 60,000 drones at $5,000 each from 10 companies, while phase three will buy 100,000 drones at $3,000 each from seven companies.
The final phase will order 150,000 drones at $2,300 each from just five companies.
Two other Ukrainian-linked units, the Drone Fight Group and General Chereshnya, also participated, but failed to secure a place among the 12 winners.
Via Defender Media / Defender Media
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