8 March 2026
The Shrike 10 Fiber, a fibre-optic drone produced by Ukrainian defence company SkyFall, has won the first phase of the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance programme, which is selecting UAVs for the United States Army.
Source: Defender Media, a Ukrainian media outlet focused on the defence technology sector, citing sources familiar with the selection process; Drone Dominance’s official website
Details: SkyFall competed in the programme in partnership with the UK company Skycutter. The official website lists the UK manufacturer as the winner. The Shrike 10 Fiber scored 99.3 points, more than 10 points above the runner-up.
The winners of the first phase of Drone Dominance
Photo: Drone Dominance Programme
Tests to assess the top-performing drone looked at strike accuracy at 2.5-10 km and its ability to operate in urban environments against multiple targets. US military evaluators also judged the drones on how easy they were to use and how quickly the manufacturers could produce them.
Alongside the SkyFall’s drone, the Ukrainian Defence Drones manufacturer placed sixth with an effectiveness score of 72.9. In February, Ukrainska Pravda reported that the company had entered the Pentagon programme. The General Chereshnia (General Cherry), a Ukrainian UAV maker, also applied for the initial stage.
The Drone Dominance programme has a US$1.1 billion budget and involves testing solutions from 25 manufacturers in the initial phase. After the first phase, the Pentagon plans to purchase about 30,000 drones from 11 companies for a total of US$150 million.
Defender Media said winners will be ranked, with each receiving a different number of orders. The US intends to buy 2,500 drones from the first-place winner, while the 12th-placed company would receive an order for 1,400 UAVs. The number of drones and participating companies will change across phases two to four.
Shrike is one of SkyFall’s most common first-person view (FPV) drones for tactical strike missions and is produced in several configurations, particularly fibre-optic versions for day and night operations. The company said the platform still has room for development, particularly as regards communications systems, repeaters, swarm technologies and machine-vision elements.
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/03/08/8024473