Skycutter wins $150 million contract for 30,000 drones in US Gauntlet I competition
Updated
Updated · Barron's · Apr 28
Skycutter wins $150 million contract for 30,000 drones in US Gauntlet I competition
8 articles · Updated · Barron's · Apr 28
Skycutter, a British startup partnered with Ukraine's SkyFall, led the Gauntlet I contest with its Shrike FPV drone, scoring 99.3 and beating over two dozen vendors in Georgia.
The Shrike uses a 12-mile fiber-optic tether, making it unjammable and effective for strike operations. Next, Gauntlet II will award $300 million for 60,000 drones with expanded capabilities.
The Pentagon's billion-dollar Drone Dominance program, inspired by lessons from Ukraine and a 2025 executive order, aims to rapidly scale up advanced, lower-cost drones, with total spending projected to exceed $70 billion.
How will the Pentagon avoid a new tech bubble while spending $70 billion on drone warfare?
With a UK/Ukrainian team winning a top contract, can the US drone industry truly achieve dominance alone?
Can traditional military acquisition cycles adapt to the rapid pace of commercial drone innovation?
As the US spends billions on attack drones, what is the strategy against low-cost enemy drone swarms?
What new ethical rules are needed for a military armed with 200,000 one-way attack drones?
Will fiber-optic tethers prove revolutionary on the battlefield or a critical vulnerability?