Pinpoint Laser Systems

The future of vertical lift is about to take flight in Dayton.

DARPA just announced the first 72 teams invited to compete in the Lift Challenge, a national competition pushing drone designs to hit a 4:1 payload-to-weight ratio. Today's drones typically sit around 1:1 or lower, so this would be a genuine leap.

The finals run August 6–9 at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, and are free and open to the public. A livestream will also be available on the Lift Challenge YouTube page.

The Pinpoint Laser Systems team will be watching closely. We're excited to see what innovative solutions these great engineering minds bring to the challenge. Good luck to every team taking to the skies.

https://www.darpa.mil/news/2026/darpa-invites-first-wave-of-lift-challenge-competitors