As modern electronic warfare turns contested airspace into a technical bottleneck, defense procurement is prioritizing two capabilities: resilient terminal guidance and rapid operator adaptation. Ukrainian unmanned systems developer SkyFall is addressing both fronts, pairing international defense contract wins with allied doctrine development.
The company has secured a top-five placement in the second phase of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Drone Dominance program while simultaneously entering a strategic partnership with Canada-based Calian Group to train NATO military personnel.
Securing a Second Consecutive DoD Placement
In the latest evaluations under the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance initiative, SkyFall entered the winner circle in partnership with the UK’s SkyCutter. The trial assessed unmanned aerial vehicles across two operational profiles: Deep Strike and Close Quarters.
Competing in the Deep Strike category – which required platforms to engage targets at a distance of 15 kilometers – the consortium’s Shrike 10-FCV secured fourth place with a score of 66.6 points, as reported by Defender Media. Under the program rules, the top five finishers in each category qualify for U.S. Department of Defense procurement contracts.
Deep Strike Category Results:
Perennial Autonomy: 80.1 points
Hyperscale: 70.9 points
Neros: 69.8 points
SkyCutter / SkyFall: 66.6 points
Swarm Defense Technologies: 66.0 points
The Shrike 10-FCV was engineered specifically for the parameters of the second phase. The strike FPV drone integrates a hybrid communication architecture – combining fiber-optic tethers with radio-frequency modules – and a proprietary terminal guidance system developed in-house to counter active jamming.
This selection makes SkyFall the only Ukrainian defense manufacturer to place among the winners in both iterations of Drone Dominance to date. In Phase 1, held in spring 2026, the company’s Shrike 10-F claimed first place overall with 99.3 points, resulting in a contract for 2,560 airframes. According to program data, SkyFall has already delivered 1,280 units – exactly 50% of the contracted volume.
Aligning Combat Experience with NATO Standards: The Calian Alliance
While hardware procurement progresses in the United States, SkyFall is standardizing its tactical expertise for allied forces through a joint venture with Calian Group (TSX: CGY).
According to Defender Media, the two entities will co-develop unmanned systems curricula targeting armed forces across NATO member states and allied nations, with initial deployments aimed at military personnel from Canada and the United Kingdom.
The initiative merges the field-tested doctrine of the SkyFall Academy with Calian’s institutional framework. Over the past three years, SkyFall’s academy has trained more than 30,000 Ukrainian service members. Calian brings four decades of experience delivering complex multinational programs, having trained over 300,000 NATO and allied troops across defense, cybersecurity, and space domains.
“For Ukraine, this partnership broadens access to NATO training standards and allied infrastructure, supporting deeper integration into the global defense ecosystem”, said Mykola Makovyeiev, CEO of SkyFall.
The Strategic Shift
SkyFall’s trajectory reflects a maturing phase for Ukraine’s defense tech cluster. Winning successive DoD technical trials validates that domestic R&D can meet Western defense acquisition standards under competitive conditions.
At the same time, institutionalizing real-world combat knowledge through tier-one defense integrators like Calian signals that Ukraine’s defense industry is moving beyond isolated hardware sales, embedding its intellectual property and operational doctrine directly into allied military structures.
