This summer, BYOB — Bring Your Own Binoculars — to the DARPA Lift Challenge, a national competition to reinvent vertical and heavy-lift aviation!
Join us Aug. 6-9, 2026, at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force to watch competitors demonstrate novel drone designs that are both lightweight and powerful.
After months of development, teams representing established companies, startups, universities, and garage-innovators will assemble for a “chase the leader” competition. Drones weighing no more than 55 pounds will attempt to carry four times their weight (220 pounds) or more over a demanding 5-nautical-mile course. Those with the highest payload-to-weight ratios and novel designs will win $6.5 million in prizes.
This free outdoor event is open to the public and is co-located with Flite Fest, a family-friendly festival that features DIY drone projects, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities, and RC aerial combats.
Register today to secure your spot: https://ow.ly/6leC50Z58rk
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency - DARPA
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Official page of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
www.darpa.mil military.
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.
Blood refrigeration drastically limits trauma care. We are changing that. 🩸
Building on our FSHARP breakthroughs, DARPA’s RAPIID program is moving synthetic blood out of the lab and scaling it for FDA approval.
The vision: A safe, shelf-stable blood analog that fits in a combat medic's pack or rural ambulance ready to reconstitute and save a life.
A successful artificial whole-blood equivalent won't just revolutionize combat medicine, it will transform disaster response and help to permanently bypass blood shortage crises.
Read more: https://ow.ly/1Ytm50Z5h4X
New names. Enduring mission. Future focus.
DARPA’s I2O is returning to IPTO, honoring its legacy of catalyzing the infrastructure of the modern digital world.
MTO evolves into the Multi X Office (MXO), expanding its remit beyond traditional microsystems and individual components into integrated capabilities.
Read more: https://ow.ly/eYqH50Z2rC1
05/11/2026
Round 1 results are officially in for the DARPA Bio Attribution Challenge! 🎉
We are thrilled to announce the top performers in the detection phase, who successfully identified and characterized pathogens within complex environmental samples:
🏆 First: Team Crits-Christoph & Hakim
🥈 Second: Treangen Lab, Rice University
🥉 Third: Pastor21 AI Inc.
Congratulations to these teams for their groundbreaking work in enhancing national security and public health. We look forward to seeing what the attribution phase brings!
Learn more and view the full leaderboard: https://ow.ly/ZyKp50YXMZY
05/06/2026
In collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory - AFRL and Northrop Grumman Corporation, we flew the XRQ-73, a hybrid-electric, unmanned experimental aircraft. ✈️⚡️
The flight occurred at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., in April 2026 as part of DARPA’s Series Hybrid Electric Propulsion AiRcraft Demonstration (SHEPARD) program.
This flight is a step forward in demonstrating the military utility of hybrid-electric propulsion.
Hybrid-electric propulsion architectures will drive the development of revolutionary new aircraft designs by offering a combination of fuel efficiency, reduced emissions, and enhanced operational flexibility.
Learn more: https://ow.ly/f36R50YVBra
04/29/2026
Military working dogs protect our warfighters. Now, we’re asking industry to help protect them. 🐕🦺
DARPA is funding research for medical tech that works on both humans and K-9s — reducing the gear medics and handlers carry while saving lives.
Learn more & apply: https://ow.ly/n1Oy50YRSIm
📸: Michelle Thum | Public Health Command Europe
"You want to be here ... you want to come to DARPA." 💡
What started as a physics major's curiosity turned into a mission to revolutionize battlefield medicine. After seeing a DARPA-funded robotic arm in action, Lt. Col. Adam Willis, M.D., U.S. Air Force, made a cold call that altered his career path. Now, he's a program manager driving groundbreaking therapeutics and autonomous surgical tools to save lives when evacuation isn't an option.
Hear the full story on our new "Voices from DARPA" episode: https://ow.ly/xtzL50YPb0L
04/16/2026
IT'S TIME TO GET amped FOR AMPED: Area-Multiplied Photonic-crystal Enhanced Devices
We want to combine novel photonic structures with advanced materials to create an entirely new class of lasers.
Don't miss AMPED's in-person Proposer's Day on May 13. (registration deadline: April 29)
ZERO SUGAR, ALL POWER.
https://www.darpa.mil/events/2026/proposers-day-amped
04/14/2026
The Biological Technologies Office (BTO) has rescheduled its Innovation Opportunity Fair (BIO Fair) for June 5, 2026.
Join us for this hybrid event in Tysons, Va., to connect with BTO Program Managers, learn about our mission and interest areas, and network with fellow innovators. This event is a key opportunity for prospective proposers to increase the efficiency of proposal preparation and evaluation.
Register today to secure your spot: https://ow.ly/BnOc50YIOwq
03/20/2026
A major milestone for autonomous aviation! 🚁
We successfully transitioned the autonomous flight system developed under the ALIAS program to the U.S. Army.
Today, an optionally piloted H-60Mx Black Hawk equipped with Sikorsky MATRIX™ autonomy is now advancing to operational testing — marking a pivotal moment in the Army's push to build a safer, smarter, and more versatile helicopter fleet for the future.
Read more: https://ow.ly/jAFX50YwX0j
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