With China’s DJI having dominated the small-drone market, the U.S. Army is seeking new alternatives. Two Ukrainian drone companies have made the final list in a drone dominance programme.

Tech site TechRadar reported on March 20 that Skyfall and Ukraine Defense Drone Tech were selected as final candidates. Skyfall’s Shryke 10 Fiber is a fibre-optic FPV drone co-developed with Britain’s Skycutter, and can avoid electronic warfare jamming, giving it strong competitiveness.

Ukraine Defense Drone Tech, by contrast, ranked sixth with its F10 Strike quadcopter. The drone was assessed as having a key strength in excluding Chinese-made components.

The company produced drones with Chinese-made components in 2023, but later localized the carbon frame and antenna. In 2025, it also produced its own flight controller and video transmission system. The programme runs in 4 stages, and in stage 1, 30,000 drones are set to be ordered at $5,000 per unit.

The top-ranked company will supply 2,500 units, while the 11th and 12th-ranked companies will supply 1,500 and 1,400 units, respectively. In later stages, order volumes increase and unit prices fall. Stage 2 is set for 60,000 units at $5,000 each, stage 3 for 100,000 units at $3,000 each, and the final stage for 150,000 units at $2,300 each.

As Ukrainian drones draw attention for their potential to replace DJI, the United States is stepping up a technology competition to secure non-Chinese-made drones.