Robinson Unmanned has been selected to participate in Gauntlet II of the Department of War’s Drone Dominance Program (DDP) following its performance in the Phase 2 qualifier, while deliveries of its SPIRIT First-Person-View (FPV) system continue under Phase 1.
Competing as Ascent AeroSystems, Robinson Unmanned is participating with its field-ready SPIRIT-FPV system, which is engineered to meet the operational and compliance requirements of the Department of War. The soldier-deployable system uses a rugged, modular, all-weather coaxial configuration.
Official data published through DroneDominance.mil placed Robinson Unmanned as one of the top performers in Phase 1 for its production capabilities, supported by vertical integration, aerospace-grade engineering rigor, production discipline, and Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Level 2 compliance.
The DDP is a rapid acquisition initiative focused on building a resilient, U.S.-based supply chain for low-cost, capable, one-way attack drone systems, with the aim of rapidly delivering operational capability to U.S. warfighters.
During the Phase 2 qualifier held in June 2026 at Camp Grayling, Michigan, 49 companies demonstrated unique Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) configurations in one or both of two mission areas: Long Range Strike and Tactical Assault in Close Quarters. Following a strong performance in the qualifier, Robinson Unmanned was named one of just 19 companies invited to advance to Gauntlet II at Fort Carson, Colorado, in August 2026.
Paul Fermo, President of Robinson Unmanned, commented, “As we advance to Gauntlet II, we recognize that unmanned systems will play an increasingly important role within the Department of War, but the future of unmanned systems won’t be defined by drone capability alone. It will be defined by which companies can manufacture reliable systems at scale. This milestone validates that Robinson Unmanned, backed by Robinson Helicopter Company’s 53-years of aerospace manufacturing excellence, has the U.S. engineering, manufacturing capability, and resilient supply chain required to rapidly deliver reliable, NDAA-compliant unmanned systems to operators at the speed of relevance.”
Fermo added, “At Robinson Unmanned we understand that true operational capability begins with aerospace-grade reliability. Built on our NDAA-compliant, Blue UAS Cleared SPIRIT airframe, SPIRIT-FPV is a rugged, modular, easy to deploy system that is ready for real-world missions.”
