Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency - DARPA

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency - DARPA Official page of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

www.darpa.mil military.
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DARPA's mission is to prevent and create strategic technological surprise by maintaining the technological superiority of the U.S. The Agency sponsors revolutionary, high-payoff research bridging the gap between fundamental discoveries and their military use.

09/03/2026

๐—˜๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ป๐˜๐˜€ ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ.

In November, the DARPA Triage Challenge Finals begin, bringing bold ideas, cutting-edge technology, academia, and industry together with one mission: Save more lives.

Watch our vision for the tactical combat casualty care of trauma care (below) and don't forget to check out https://ow.ly/kj8k50ZISii for ongoing updates!

https://ow.ly/9of550ZISih

09/01/2026

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐——๐—”๐—ฅ๐—ฃ๐—” ๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐—ณ๐˜ ๐—–๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐—น๐—น ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ป ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐˜€๐˜‚๐—บ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿด!

Teams competing in the first competition showed us that the potential for massive breakthroughs in heavy lift vertical aviation is far greater than we initially anticipated. The 4:1 payload-to-weight ratio ๐‘–๐‘  possible and likely just the beginning.

๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฒ๐˜…๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿด:

๐ŸŸขAircraft weighing 55 lbs. or less (same as 2026)
๐ŸŸข2x the prep time
๐ŸŸข2x the distance
๐ŸŸข2x the minimum payload
๐ŸŸขMore community collaboration

Details | dates | location coming soon at https://ow.ly/5mP050ZGHAO

08/27/2026

In the latest episode of Voices from DARPA, we dive deep into the world of maritime security with Dr. Christopher Kent, a program manager in DARPAโ€™s Tactical Technology Office. With a background in naval architecture and as the former Deputy Chief Engineer for the Department of the Navy, Kent came to DARPA to solve real-world problems. He shares his work developing innovative technologies that provide a new layer of security for vessels at sea and other parts of the battlefield.

https://www.darpa.mil/news/podcast/sea-changer-96

Lift Challenge Program Manager Phillip โ€œDonnaโ€ Smith sits down with our Flite Test partners to discuss the competition, ...
08/13/2026

Lift Challenge Program Manager Phillip โ€œDonnaโ€ Smith sits down with our Flite Test partners to discuss the competition, its 4:1 payload-to-weight ratio goal, and the event's mission to drive aviation innovation.

Check out the full conversation: https://ow.ly/oC4p50ZzsIq

On Aug. 12, Air Force Gen. Randall Reed, commander, U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), met with Stephen Winchell,...
08/13/2026

On Aug. 12, Air Force Gen. Randall Reed, commander, U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), met with Stephen Winchell, DARPA director, and several program managers to discuss DARPA technology efforts that align with the commandโ€™s global mobility operational needs.

DARPA engages with combatant commands to ensure breakthrough technologies transition quickly into the hands of U.S. warfighters to provide unmatched advantage on current and future battlefields.

08/11/2026

For the DARPA Lift Challenge, the question we asked was simple: Whatโ€™s your ratio? The process to answer it: DARPA HARD.

This is just the beginning of the transformation in heavy vertical-lift aviation. That's why we released a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) topic so these teams can continue maturing their drone concepts.

Congratulations to every team that took flight, and pushed the limits of lift.

Access a recap of the competition's results: https://www.darpa.mil/news/2026/lift-challenge-awards?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=lift-challenge&utm_term=aug-11&utm_content=tto-awards-results

Flight over. Record set. Ratio revealed.The flight window is officially closed on the DARPA Lift Challenge.7 days. 76 te...
08/10/2026

Flight over. Record set. Ratio revealed.

The flight window is officially closed on the DARPA Lift Challenge.

7 days. 76 teams. Thousands of test flights. One new world record.

And the question at the heart of the championship answered: โ€œWhatโ€™s your ratio?โ€

The answer is in.

๐Ÿ† ๐—ง๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—บ ๐—”๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐Ÿฏ.๐Ÿด๐Ÿฐ:๐Ÿญ

Congratulations to everyone involved in the DARPA Lift Challenge.

DARPALiftChallenge.com

The flight window is officially closed on the DARPA Lift Challenge. The flying may be done, but the excitement is still ...
08/09/2026

The flight window is officially closed on the DARPA Lift Challenge.

The flying may be done, but the excitement is still taking off.

Tune in to the awards ceremony live at 7 p.m. ET to see who takes home the top honors: https://www.darpaliftchallenge.com

08/09/2026

Highlights from the penultimate day of the DARPA Lift Challenge are here.
๐Ÿ”ง Fine-tuning. ๐Ÿ”ฅ Fiery crashes. ๐Ÿชถ Fearless flight.

The action continues with the final flight run slated for 2 p.m. ET on Aug. 9.

Watch the livestream now @ https://www.darpaliftchallenge.com

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