Ukrainian defence-tech company General Cherry has advanced to the second stage of the American Drone Dominance Program (DDP), run by the U.S. Department of Defense to identify manufacturers of affordable and effective strike drones for the U.S. Army.

The first stage of testing took place on February 18, 2026, at Fort Benning military base. Twenty-five companies from various countries were admitted to participate, including General Cherry.

During the first round, each manufacturer was given two hours to demonstrate their solution to U.S. military personnel. American operators then independently test-flew the drones and evaluated their capabilities.

The main evaluation criteria were target detection, tracking, and engagement. Additional factors included system deployment time, target acquisition speed, strike accuracy, and other technical parameters — as well as each company’s ability to establish manufacturing operations in the United States.

On May 21, 2026, DDP announced the companies advancing to the second stage, which will feature a significantly more demanding testing program. A total of 48 companies were selected to demonstrate their products at Camp Grayling, Michigan. Approximately 78 unique drones will be tested across one or both critical categories: Long Range Strike and tactical drones for operations in confined spaces.

Subsequent stages will introduce even more complex system requirements. Particular attention will be paid to resilience against electronic warfare (EW) systems, GPS-denied environments, and challenging conditions — including high altitude, extreme temperatures, and engagement of more complex and moving targets.

The fourth and final stage will select approximately five manufacturers to receive contracts with the Pentagon.

According to the program’s official website, the total value of the Drone Dominance Program is $1.1 billion. The program is structured in four stages and aims to build scalable, affordable, and low-risk supply chains for small strike UAVs for the U.S. Army.

The Pentagon emphasizes that drone warfare is reshaping the nature of modern combat, and that the U.S. Army requires affordable unmanned systems that can be rapidly scaled and integrated into future defense programs.