Марія Бровінська Weapon 2 July 2026, 14:43

UPD. Ukrainian drone manufacturers Swarmer and "General Chereshnya" have qualified for the Pentagon's $1 billion competition

American drone manufacturer Powerus and Ukrainian company Swarmer have teamed up to supply drones with swarm control technology to the Pentagon

(UPD. The news has been supplemented with information about the drone manufacturer «General Chereshnya»)

American drone manufacturer Powerus and Ukrainian company Swarmer have signed a memorandum of intent to integrate swarm software into Powerus drone and maritime platforms. The goal is to gain an advantage in the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance Program, where 48 companies are competing for contracts to mass produce FPV drones.

Swarmer is developing collaborative autonomy technology: a single operator controls a swarm of reconnaissance and strike drones simultaneously. The swarm flies on its own, while the pilot receives multiple «eyes» in the sky and multiple munitions on demand. According to Forbes, it is the only company among Drone Dominance’s competitors, along with Auterion, that offers full-fledged swarm technology.

Why Swarmer?

Swarmer technology has been tested in over 100,000 real-world combat missions in Ukraine. This is critical: after unsuccessful experiences with early AI solutions, FPV operators are extremely skeptical of automated systems. Swarmer managed to build a reputation — and when the company went public in the US, its shares increased eightfold on the first day of trading.

Technically, the Swarmer is a smartphone-sized device that can be retrofitted onto any drone, but Powerus president Brett Velicovich says that integrating from the ground up will give them a significant advantage over those who simply screw the module on top.

«Swarming is a force multiplier. It’s not about taking the human out of the decision-making process. Every drone needs to have swarm technology — otherwise we’ll simply not have enough pilots.»

— Brett Velichovich, President of Powerus, Forbes

Context: Drone Dominance Program

The Pentagon has invited 48 companies with approximately 78 unique drone designs to the second phase of the program. Field evaluations are scheduled from August 2026 to January 2027. The program budget is $1 billion. The target price of one FPV drone is no more than $5,000 (for comparison: in Ukraine, volunteer FPVs cost less than $500, but American standards are stricter — without Chinese components, with certified electronics).

The US produces about 50,000 drones a year — while Russia and Ukraine count in the millions. «We need to catch up and build the American drone industrial base at the speed of war,» Veličovic says.

Powerus is not the only company betting on Ukrainian technology. Sky Fall’s drones have already won the first phase of Drone Dominance thanks to a partnership with the British Skycutter. Ukrainian F-Drones, through UDD, took sixth place and has already received a supply contract. The trend is obvious: the Pentagon is buying Ukrainian combat expertise through American legal structures.

Who is Powerus?

Powerus was founded in 2025 by a team of former military intelligence officers who met in Ukraine after a full-scale invasion. The brand has three lines: Kaizen Aerospace (heavy cargo drones up to 450 kg), Tandem Defense (FPV quadcopters, one already in Phase II Drone Dominance), and Agile Autonomy (maritime unmanned systems). Separately, there is a line of Guardian interceptors, which are already in use in Ukraine and recently received a contract from the US Air Force Special Operations Command.

The company’s investors include Eric and Donald Trump Jr., and a recent $30 million investment from Unusual Machines confirms the seriousness of its intentions.

ADDED. In addition, the Ukrainian defensetech company «General Chereshnya» was among the participants who advanced to the next stage of the American Drone Dominance Program (DDP), aimed at selecting strike drones for the needs of the US Army. This is stated in the company’s statement. This is a program of the US Department of Defense with a total budget of $1.1 billion, within which the Pentagon plans to form a reserve of hundreds of thousands of strike drones by 2027. Based on the results of the final tests, the US military department expects to conclude contracts for the supply of up to 60,000 drones.

According to the company, the decision to enter the Gauntlet II phase was made after qualification tests that took place from June 8 to 19, 2026 at the Camp Grayling training ground in Michigan. 49 drone manufacturers from different countries participated in the selection, and 19 companies advanced to the next stage. During the qualification, the participants demonstrated the operation of their systems in day and night conditions, performing long-range strike and tactical assault tasks in a confined space. At this stage, the drones were controlled by the developers themselves, while during Gauntlet II, the equipment will be evaluated by the US military. The next phase of testing will take place in August at Fort Carson in Colorado. To participate in it, companies must manufacture and deliver 120 drones with a combat payload within five weeks.

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