Be there while aviation history is made at a live drone experiment and competition!
The DARPA Lift Challenge is a national competition to revolutionize heavy vertical-lift aviation.
This is a free, outdoor event. It is open to the public Aug. 6-9, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Hosted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in August 2026, the event taps into the core of American innovation: the ‘garage inventor’ spirit.
DARPA invites the community 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.
But it’s not just a prize competition – it's a catalyst for long-term growth and innovation across the American drone industry. Participants will play a critical role in advancing vertical lift technologies that will have far-reaching benefits for military missions and civilian needs.