Key Facts
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom[1] |
| Gauntlet I (March 2026) | First, 99.3 pointsAbout 12 points ahead of Neros; held at Fort Benning, Georgia[1] |
| Gauntlet I Categories | First in long-distance strikeSecond in urban strike; third in the military operator evaluation[1] |
| Gauntlet I Order | Up to 2,500 drones[2] |
| Gauntlet Entry | Shrike 10 FiberJoint product of Skyfall and Skycutter; co-founder Vincent Gardner says it was redesigned to exclude any Chinese parts[2] |
| Delivery Status (July 2026) | Listed as neither ramping nor shippingOne of two Gauntlet I winners in that position, per DroneXL[3] |
| Gauntlet II (September 2026) | Fourth in Deep Strike, 66.6 pointsIts Close Quarters Battle entry missed the top five[3] |
PRODUCTS
LEADERSHIP
Vincent Gardner, Co-founder[2]
Drone Intelligence Assessment
Skycutter is the British company that topped Gauntlet I. It scored 99.3 at Fort Benning in March 2026, about 12 points clear of Neros, and won the long-distance strike category. Its entry, the Shrike 10 Fiber, was built with Ukraine's Skyfall, and co-founder Vincent Gardner says it was redesigned to exclude Chinese parts. Inside Unmanned Systems reported up to 2,500 drones ordered.
Delivery is where the record weakens. By July, DroneXL reported, the programme listed Skycutter as one of only two Gauntlet I winners neither ramping up nor shipping their ordered drones. In Gauntlet II in September it finished fourth in Deep Strike with 66.6 points, and its Close Quarters Battle entry missed the top five.
DI analysis: Skycutter shows that winning on flight scores and winning on volume are different contests. Our Gauntlet II briefing found the programme rewarding vendors that deliver, with bonus orders reallocated from those that miss deadlines. For a London-based company working with a Ukrainian partner, US production capacity is the question to watch, and the sources reviewed give no funding or factory figures to answer it.
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Join the design-partner listSources & References
- DefenseScoop, Drone Dominance Program Gauntlet I results (9 March 2026)
- Inside Unmanned Systems, Gauntlet Phase 1: America's New Champions of FPV Warfare
- DroneXL, Gauntlet II results: Neros, Skycutter fourth (19 September 2026)
- sUAS News, British startup Skycutter stuns US military-industrial complex (March 2026)
Drone Intelligence, Company Profile. Compiled from public filings, company disclosures and specialist reporting. Last updated 26 October 2026.
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