Through its Tactical Technology Office (TTO), DARPA wants to move drones to the next level with its Lift Challenge – a US$6.5-million competition aimed at creating small drones capable of lifting ...

DARPA's "Lift Challenge" aims to develop small uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) capable of carrying a payload up to four times their own weight, a significant leap from the typical 1:1 ratio. This ...

In an effort to supercharge the development of military drones, DARPA will this year fast track flight testing of five advanced Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) prototypes as part of the agency's Early ...

DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) issued a challenge, the DARPA Lift Challenge, in October 2025 to develop novel drone designs that have greater payload-to-weight ratio. DARPA, which ...

Battery technology is on the cusp of enabling high-performance flight applications. DARPA just released a “Lift Challenge” for drones, with a prize pool of $6.5M. DARPA is hosting a live webinar on ...

DARPA has launched a prize challenge to demonstrate multicopter uncrewed aircraft that can carry payloads more than four times their weight in a stated goal of tapping into the U.S. “garage innovator” ...

Olympic barbell weights will be used as the drone’s payload for the DARPA Lift Challenge flyoff competition in mid-2026. Credit: DARPA Pentagon neglect played a key role in China gaining global ...

The Pentagon’s technology incubator has launched a competition seeking novel designs for uncrewed cargo aircraft capable of carrying payloads more than four times their own weight, with applications ...