What is the Drone Dominance Program?
The Drone Dominance Program is a two-year, $1.1 billion US Department of War program to buy small, low-cost attack drones from American manufacturers. It carries out Executive Order 14307, “Unleashing American Drone Dominance,” signed in June 2025. The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Test Resource Management Center run it together.
Instead of multi-year acquisition, the program runs in six-month sprints. Each sprint ends in a Gauntlet, a live-flight competition. Drones are scored on range, strike accuracy and how easy they are to operate. The top performers get production orders.
Who won the Drone Dominance Gauntlets?
- Gauntlet I (March 2026): About 30,000 one-way attack drones ordered. UK-based Skycutter topped the leaderboard.
- Gauntlet II (September 2026): Nine winners shared orders for about 60,000 drones. Perennial Autonomy led the Deep Strike category, and Neros led Close Quarters Battle. Neros also placed in Deep Strike.
- What’s next: Two more phases, with volumes meant to reach about 150,000 drones per phase.
Why is scaling drone production so hard?
Winning a Gauntlet creates a problem. Gauntlet II vendors had to deliver 120 payload-fitted drones in about five weeks. Winners then received orders for thousands of units, with only months to deliver. Meanwhile the price target falls from about $5,000 to $3,000 per drone.
That’s a catch-22. You need more capacity right away, but buying new equipment raises the cost per unit you’ve just promised to cut. Long lead times on new machines and production tooling make it worse. And because each phase is re-competed every six months, nobody knows if today’s order will be there next year.
Where does 3D printing fit in drone manufacturing?
Most production airframes are CNC-machined or molded. Industrial 3D printing does its best work around them:
- Assembly jigs and fixtures: soldering nests, motor-mount alignment jigs, payload loading fixtures, and test stands.
- CNC workholding: printed soft jaws and fixture plates keep machines cutting frames instead of waiting for tooling.
- Payload-variant parts: sensor mounts, antenna housings and payload-bay adapters, needed in small numbers for each configuration.
- Bridge production: printed end-use parts while injection-mold tooling is on order.
- Fast design changes: when a Gauntlet result means a redesign, printed parts can be ready in days, not weeks.
Desktop printers are great for quick prototypes. Production work needs repeatable, documented engineering materials and machines that run unattended, shift after shift.
How Pivot AM helps drone manufacturers add capacity
Refurbished industrial printers, installed in weeks. Pivot supplies refurbished Stratasys and 3D Systems FDM, SLA and SLS equipment. We deliver and install at your facility within weeks of purchase, not the months a new machine can take.
Rental, lease and rent-to-own options. If you’re competing in a program that’s re-competed every six months, you shouldn’t have to tie up capital in equipment you might not need next year. Rent to compete, then buy if the orders keep coming.
Engineering materials for 25–50% less. We offer Stratasys-compatible Nylon 12CF, ULTEM, ABS, ASA and PC-ABS for 25–50% less than OEM material. That lowers the cost of every jig, fixture, printed part, and by result each drone unit.
Preventive maintenance contracts. Our maintenace plans keep production printers running, so machine downtime doesn’t cost you a delivery date.
FAQ
How much is the Drone Dominance Program worth?
$1.1 billion over two years, with a goal of more than 200,000 drones by 2027.
What is a Drone Dominance Gauntlet?
A live-flight competition at the end of each six-month sprint. Vendors are scored on performance and must prove they can build quickly. The top scorers receive production orders.
What is the target price per drone?
About $5,000 per unit at first, falling to about $3,000.
Can 3D printing help drone manufacturers scale?
Yes, especially for production tooling, CNC workholding, payload-variant parts and bridge production before mold tooling is ready.
Scaling for the next Gauntlet?
Talk to Pivot about adding production 3D printing capacity in weeks. Buy, rent or lease.
Sources: U.S. Department of War, DefenseScoop
