Perennial Autonomy Won Gauntlet II Drone Trials

The firm secured the top score in the deep strike category of the Department of War's drone competition.

Updated on Sept. 29, 2026 in Robotics

Isometric editorial illustration of a matte gray autonomous drone on a minimalist steel platform, rendered in muted oxblood and slate tones. — Perennial Autonomy secured the top score in the deep strike category of the Department of War's Gauntlet II drone competition at Fort Carson. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Perennial Autonomy has claimed victory in the deep strike category of the Department of War's Gauntlet II drone competition. The company finished with 80.1 points, securing a 9.2-point lead over the second-place finisher at the trials held in Fort Carson, Colorado.

Why it matters

The competition serves as a critical stage for selecting vendors for the Drone Dominance Program, which mandates that contractors be U.S. legal entities registered with the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. The failure of several Ukrainian-linked firms to place highlights the difficulty in navigating American component integration and export regulations.

Finalists were required to deliver 120 drones fitted with live payloads within a five-week timeframe. The winning performance of 80.1 points follows Gauntlet I, where only 3 of the 11 original vendors successfully completed their deliveries.

The players

Perennial Autonomy

This drone manufacturer, formerly known as White Stork, won the deep strike category of the Gauntlet II competition.

Department of War

This federal agency oversees the Drone Dominance Program, which facilitates drone trials and procurement for national defense.

Skycutter

Based in London, this aerospace firm emerged as the winner of the inaugural Gauntlet I competition in March 2026.

Stellarion

This drone firm linked to Ukrainian developers struggled with supply chain integration during the competition.

The details

Contestants in the trial faced rigorous demands to prove their hardware capabilities while adhering to strict U.S. regulatory standards. Firms such as Stellarion cited complications with delayed export permits and shipping as primary barriers to integrating their products with American components.

Perennial Autonomy began operations as White Stork in 2023.
Skycutter won the Gauntlet I trials in March 2026.
Three vendors from Gauntlet I completed their deliveries by mid-August 2026.
Motors and batteries from certain countries were barred in August 2026.
The article was published on September 29, 2026.

The Tech Race

The success of Perennial Autonomy signals a shift toward drone manufacturers that can successfully navigate the stringent regulatory and supply chain requirements of the American defense sector. This competition follows the precedent set by the Drone Dominance Program, which aims to replace reliance on foreign components with secure domestic alternatives.

While the trials focus on military-grade hardware, the strict sourcing requirements for motors and batteries impact the broader supply chain for commercial drone manufacturers. Future iterations of these technologies may eventually influence the availability of specialized drone components for civilian users and hobbyists.

The takeaway

The results of Gauntlet II show that domestic manufacturing capabilities and regulatory compliance are as critical to success as the drones themselves. Firms that cannot bridge the gap between foreign-linked development and American standards are finding it increasingly difficult to compete for federal contracts.