Katana drone maker plans new version after DARPA win

Avidrone Aerospace said this week it will develop a new version of Katana, the single-rotor helicopter drone that won the top prize at DARPA’s Lift Challenge earlier this month in Dayton, Ohio.

Katana carried a 51-kilogram (112.4-pound) payload aboard a 13.3-kilogram (29.3-pound) airframe, producing an official payload-to-aircraft-weight ratio of 3.84 to 1, Avidrone said. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency had set a 4-to-1 ratio as the goal when it opened the competition in November 2025, a mark no existing heavy-lift drone had reached and one no team in the competition managed to hit. Avidrone’s result was the closest.

The Lift Challenge ran Aug. 4 through 9 at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, drawing 124 registered teams, 76 of which reached the flight line. Competitors flew a 9.3-kilometer (5-nautical-mile) circuit course, carrying a loaded payload out, dropping it, and flying back empty, all within a 30-minute window. Katana used a conventional single-main-rotor, tail-boom helicopter layout, a design older than most production drones on the market, while several rival teams built unconventional airframes to chase the same payload target. Avidrone completed its winning run in 19 minutes and 17 seconds.

Because no team reached DARPA’s 4-to-1 target, the agency cut its prize payouts in half. Avidrone collected $1.25 million instead of the $2.5 million top prize. MTech Operations LLC placed second at a 3.64-to-1 ratio for $750,000, and Xtreme Aerial Concepts placed third at 3.45 to 1 for $500,000.

“This is a result of bringing together years of know-how, our proprietary autopilot and flight-control technologies, and decades of experience designing and flying aircraft specifically for heavy cargo lift,” Avidrone said.

The company said interest in Katana grew after the competition.

“In response, we are moving forward with continued development of a commercialized version designed for defense and industrial applications,” Avidrone said.