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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsDrone Dominance Gauntlet II had two mission-area leaders, not one overall champion: Perennial Autonomy ranked first in deep strike, while Neros ranked first in close quarters battle. Neros also placed third in deep strike, making it the only company on both top-five lists reported by DefenseScoop.
Gauntlet II leaderboard: the top five in each mission
The rankings below are the top-five results reported by DefenseScoop. They are separate mission-area leaderboards, not a combined overall ranking.
| Rank | Deep strike | Close quarters battle |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perennial Autonomy | Neros |
| 2 | Hyperscale | ORQA US |
| 3 | Neros | XTEND Reality |
| 4 | Skycutter | Vector |
| 5 | Swarm Defense Technologies | ModalAI |
Neros had the strongest showing across the two reported boards: first in close quarters battle and third in deep strike. That describes its placements; it is not an official overall title.
What Gauntlet II tested
Gauntlet II was the second competition phase in the U.S. Department of War’s Drone Dominance Program, which aims to procure small, low-cost drones. The program is sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of War and jointly administered by the Test Resource Management Center and Defense Innovation Unit. Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane has contracting authority and issues prototype delivery orders based on Gauntlet results. The program describes its phases as challenges followed by delivery of production-quality systems, with military operators evaluating performance in mission scenarios. Drone Dominance Program overview
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The participant funnel began with 49 companies invited to a Phase 2 qualifier at Camp Grayling, Michigan. Approximately 79 unique drones were tested in deep strike and close quarters battle missions, and 19 companies advanced to Gauntlet II at Fort Carson, Colorado, in August 2026. Official participant page
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DefenseScoop, citing Defense Innovation Unit officials, reported that Gauntlet II involved 1,858 sorties across 23 platforms from those 19 companies. The officials described it as “the Drone Dominance Program’s most demanding test to date.”
Reported long-distance performance
DefenseScoop also relayed an official comparison: each of the 11 platforms evaluated at long distance reached 15 km. In Gauntlet I, 24% of drones managed to reach 10 km. Those are different distance thresholds, so the figures should not be read as a like-for-like comparison at the same range.
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What the results do—and do not—say about contracts
A leaderboard place is not the same as a production award. DefenseScoop reported that the Department planned to purchase about 60,000 drones from the Gauntlet II vendor pool. The program overview separately states an intention to purchase over 200,000 drones by 2027; that is a program-wide target, not a confirmed delivery total. Neither figure establishes how many units any particular company will receive.
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The Motley Fool named nine firms as eligible for production contracts, but its specific order amounts and award expectations were attributed to a separate Tectonic Defense report. Those claims should not be treated as completed awards. The official program says Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane issues prototype delivery orders based on Gauntlet results; the available rankings alone do not establish a final vendor-by-vendor production allocation.
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Where Gauntlet II sits in the program timeline
As displayed by the program on October 3, 2026, the schedule listed Gauntlet I in February 2026 and Gauntlet II in August 2026. It estimated Gauntlet 2.5 for October 2026, focused on a bomber-platform mission, with Gauntlets 3 and 4 planned roughly six months apart. The program cautions that dates may change. It also says Drone Dominance is not a down-select process: vendors not chosen in an earlier phase may apply in later phases. Drone Dominance Program overview
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