The US defence department has selected 11 tech firms to build its next generation of low-cost, disposable drones, marking a distinct pivot towards Silicon Valley-style mass production.

Last week, the Pentagon concluded “Gauntlet I” at Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning), Georgia. The competition served as an accelerated field test for defence contractors vying for a share of a $150m (£117m) initial order to manufacture 30,000 “one-way attack” drones—military terminology for what are effectively low-cost loitering munitions.

Driven by a recent executive order aimed at expanding US drone capabilities, and overseen by defence secretary Pete Hegseth, the programme reflects lessons drawn from recent attritional conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. The initiative aims to bypass traditional, multi-year procurement bureaucracy, with a stated goal of stockpiling over 300,000 of these systems by 2027.

Companies were scored based on Gauntlet I performance, military operator evaluations, and production and supply chain capabilities.

The Drone Dominance Program selected the Top 11 performers to receive orders.

The following companies, listed in alphabetical order, completed in Gauntlet 1 but did not rank in the Top 11.

The Drone Dominance Program continues to work closely with these companies for Blue List accession. We thank these companies for their participation and look forward to them competing in the future.

The top 11 companies are finalists for prototype contracts. Awards are not guaranteed. All drones must pass NDAA/Blue UAS compliance verification by the DCMA.