The Pentagon’s Drone Dominance Program has named Perennial Autonomy and Neros Technologies as the leading performers in the second Drone Dominance Gauntlet competition, which evaluated low-cost unmanned aircraft systems for two military mission areas.
Perennial Autonomy took the top position in the Long Range Strike category, while Neros Technologies ranked first in Tactical Assault in Confined Environments, the program announced Tuesday. The competition, known as Gauntlet II, assessed unmanned systems intended for those distinct operational roles.
Potential production orders
Before the results were announced, the Drone Dominance Program said Gauntlet II was valued at $300 million. It also said the top performer in each mission area would receive production orders for 8,000 drones.
The announced rankings therefore place Perennial Autonomy and Neros Technologies in line for the production awards described by the program. The supplied announcement did not provide further details on the aircraft designs, competition criteria, delivery schedule or the status of any production orders.
Two mission areas
Gauntlet II centered on low-cost unmanned aircraft rather than a single common mission set. Its Long Range Strike and Tactical Assault in Confined Environments categories reflect the program’s use of separate evaluations for systems intended for different employment scenarios.
