DARPA Invites 72 Teams to Lift Challenge, Including MacGyver, Squishy Tech, and YGGY Aviation
DARPA announced on June 8 that 72 teams have been invited to compete in its Lift Challenge, scheduled for August 2–9, 2025, at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. The competition challenges teams to demonstrate drones capable of carrying payloads at least four times their own weight, with a total prize pool of $6.5 million. Participants range from solo inventors and startups to aerospace firms and university research teams.
Highlights
- DARPA announced on June 8, 2025 that 72 teams have been invited to the Lift Challenge, with up to 150 teams potentially participating in total.
- The Lift Challenge offers a $6.5 million prize pool for drones demonstrating a payload-to-weight ratio of at least 4:1, far exceeding the current industry standard of approximately 1:1.
- The competition will be held August 2–9, 2025, at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, featuring a 5-nautical-mile circuit course.
- DARPA received more than 480 applications since the competition was announced in late October 2024, with over 200 teams completing preliminary milestones.
- Invited participants include teams named MacGyver, Squishy Tech, YGGY Aviation, Driftless Robotics, and university teams from Penn State, the University of Maryland, and Arizona State University.
DARPA Lift Challenge illustration (Image: DARPA, Alan Clarke)
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) officially announced on June 8 that 72 teams have been invited to participate in its Lift Challenge, set for August 2025. The competition calls for innovative drone designs capable of carrying payloads weighing at least four times the vehicle's own weight.
A Diverse Field of Competitors
The invited roster spans individual inventors, startups, aerospace companies, and university research teams. Named participants include Driftless Robotics, EasyBreezy Heavy Lift, Kansas City Space Pirates, MacGyver, Squishy Tech, Stoner Aero, YGGY Aviation, Avalon Aero, Avidrone Inc., two teams from Burl Aerospace, as well as academic entries from Penn State University, the University of Maryland, and Arizona State University — all competing for a total prize pool of $6.5 million.
DARPA noted that up to 150 teams may ultimately be invited. Since the competition was announced in late October 2025, DARPA received more than 480 applications, of which over 200 teams successfully completed preliminary milestones, including submitting a final concept paper and supporting video evidence of progress.
Breaking Existing Payload-to-Weight Limits
The central objective of the Lift Challenge is to demonstrate drone technology that dramatically surpasses current payload-to-weight ratios.
"If competitors can demonstrate a 4:1 payload-to-weight ratio, the implications for both commercial and military missions would be profound," DARPA stated. "Today's industry standard hovers around 1:1 or lower, a constraint that has long limited the range of viable applications."
Competition Schedule and Venue
The Lift Challenge will take place August 2–9, 2025, at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. Competing drones must complete a 5-nautical-mile circuit course, and prizes will be awarded to the teams achieving the highest payload-to-weight ratios while demonstrating innovative design.
Portions of this article were originally published in sister publication Defense Daily.
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