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 is the main R&D agency of the U.S. Department of War (previously known as the Department of Defense), has played a significant role in the development of many key civilian and military technologies, including weather satellites, GPS, stealth technology, flat screens, personal computers, and the internet. DARPA has issued challenges related to unmanned and autonomous vehicles and aircraft in the past, but now turns their attention to drone designs that can carry larger payloads. Existing multirotor drone designs are relatively simple, affordable, and easy to use, but their effectiveness in military, commercial, and civilian applications is limited by their low payload-to-weight-ratio, which is typically about 1:1. The challenge is seeking revolutionary drone designs that can carry payloads more than four times their weight.
With the goal of encouraging radical new designs that depart from the conventional wisdom, there are very few requirements for the entries. The drones must weigh less than 55 pounds, must be capable of vertical takeoff and landing, and must be a heavier-than-air aircraft that does not use any lighter-than-air gases to provide lift or reduce weight. The aircraft and entrants must also comply with various FAA regulations, including Part 107 Certification, Experimental Air Worthiness Certification, and a Commercial Drone License. The challenge is open to U.S. citizens (or permanent residents) or teams representing U.S. entities.
DARPA will start accepting applications beginning in January of 2026, along with submissions of the team’s FAA certifications and a draft concept paper that outlines their proposed design, technical approach, and key performance metrics. Progress pictures and videos are due in March of 2026. And the application period ends on May 1, 2026, when the teams must submit flight test verification, final versions of the concept papers, and certification approvals from the FAA. Teams that satisfy all of the pre-qualifications will be invited to participate in the challenge competition, which is scheduled for June of 2026.
For the competition itself, each drone will fly a 5 nautical-mile circuit course at an elevation of 350 feet, where the first four laps of the circuit are flown with a payload of Olympic barbells, and the final lap is flown without a payload. The minimum payload weight is 110 pounds, and the circuit must be completed within 30 minutes. The three drones that complete the circuit with the highest payload-to-weight ratio will receive cash prizes of up to $2.5 million. Prizes of $500,000 will also be awarded to the winners of each of the three following subjective categories: most revolutionary aerodynamic design, most revolutionary powertrain design, and most commercially and economically promising.
Potential participants should consider the intellectual property (IP) implications of joining the competition. For example, if a participant’s drone designs incorporate any new and nonobvious features or designs, then any submissions as part of the application process (e.g., concept papers, progress pictures, videos) that detail the new drone design could be considered a public disclosure of the potentially patentable features and/or designs. Additionally, participating in the challenge competition in June of 2026 may also be considered a public use of the potentially patentable features and/or designs. Public disclosures and uses such as these could impact the participant’s ability to obtain a patent on those features and/or designs in both the US and in other countries, so participants should consider filing patent applications on their novel drone designs prior to submitting any pictures, videos, or concept papers or even prior to entering the competition. Finally, participants who wish to contract with DARPA (or any other government agency) to sell their drones, to license their designs/technology, or to continue to develop new designs should evaluate how government contracting may impact their intellectual property rights.
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