About

Welcome to the competition! To help everyone prepare, this guide will walk you through everything from the technical requirements and course layout to what you can expect on competition day.

Safety and Sportsmanship

Before diving into the details, it’s important to cover the basics. All participants must follow the procedures laid out here, along with all standard FAA rules and safety practices. It cannot be stressed enough: safety is the number one priority. Any behavior seen as unsafe, or any violation of the rules, could lead to disqualification. The goal is for this to be a challenging and rewarding experience, so everyone is expected to compete with sportsmanship and in good faith.

Your Aircraft and Crew

Let's start with your hardware. This Challenge is designed for Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) vehicles, meaning your UAS must be able to lift off and land vertically without a runway or external launch gear.  

Your flight crew is also critical. Each team needs to designate one Remote Pilot in Command (RPIC) who holds a valid FAA Part 107 certificate. These certifications will be reviewed by DARPA beforehand and physically verified by the lane coordinator on competition day. The RPIC can also have one assistant with them in the designated competition area.  

On top of that, all flight operations must follow standard FAA regulations. For larger systems, this includes having a "Special Authority for Certain Unmanned Aircraft Systems" (FAA 44807) on file. The aircraft must also be equipped with and compliant with all FAA Remote Identification (RID) regulations.

The Competition Course

Each team gets an exclusive 100-foot-wide flight lane for all its flight window operations. For safety, each lane is enclosed by a digital geofence. Flying outside of the lane or geofence will result in an infraction, invalidating that flight attempt.

At the end of your lane are two key zones. First, a Preparation Box serves as a staging area to run final checks on your UAS. From there, you'll move into the Competition Box, the official zone where all takeoffs, landings, and payload deposits happen. Only three people are allowed in the Competition Box during a flight: the RPIC, the optional RPIC assistant, and the official Lane Coordinator. Inside this box, you'll see two marked circles on the ground, each with a 5-foot radius: one for your UAS Takeoff and Landing and one for the Payload Deposit.

The Payload

The payload is specific: Barbell Standard brand cast iron Olympic plates, which will be provided by DARPA to ensure consistency. To get a qualifying score, a flight must carry a minimum of 110 lbs. You'll need to declare your payload weight before the weigh-in, and when assembling your payload, the rule is to use the largest plate denominations possible. The plates themselves cannot be modified in any way.

How you attach the payload is up to you, but the mechanism must be secure and safe. It’s important to know that the weight of your attachment system counts as part of the aircraft's weight, not as part of the payload weight. The attachment gear must also stay on the aircraft for the entire flight. Lastly, all plates must be held at a single point on the UAS; spreading the weight out is not allowed.

Competition Day: Scheduling and Check-In

So, how is flight time assigned? It’s simple: the sooner you apply, the higher you are on the list to pick your preferred flight days.

Each team is assigned two 90-minute flight windows on separate days, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. This gives you several chances to post your best score. During your 90-minute block, you can make as many flight attempts as you can safely fit in. Your best score overall from either of your two windows will stand as your official score.

The schedule could change due to unforeseen events. Every effort will be made to accommodate teams and provide notice if things get shuffled. It's crucial to be on time—check-in with the lane coordinator is required within 15 minutes of your window's start time. Missing a window may mean forfeiting those attempts. If you have a valid reason to reschedule, get in touch with the event organizers, and they will do their best to accommodate you, but rescheduling is not guaranteed.

The Main Event: Pre-Flight and Execution

Before each flight attempt, you'll go through a quick pre-flight process. A DARPA representative will weigh your aircraft and payload on a certified scale and give the payload a quick look to ensure it’s set up safely. Next, a small, government-provided tracker will be attached to your payload, its weight counts as part of the payload; the tracker specs will be released before the event. Your aircraft's own Remote ID will also be used for tracking when it's flying unloaded. This data helps confirm every flight is within the rules, and a display will show the pilot their tracking info and provide alerts if they stray off course. We also ask that you keep a flight log detailing the payload, flight time, and energy use for each attempt.

When it's time to being your flight attempt, the clock officially starts the second the payload lifts off the ground. Your mission is a 5-nautical-mile circuit, flown in loops. The first four miles are with the payload, and the final mile is without it.

Your RPIC must always keep the aircraft in visual line of sight. Even with autonomous modes, a safety pilot must be ready to take manual control instantly. Your aircraft also needs to be "self-sufficient” no launch stands or tethers, though a manual engine start is acceptable.

Once airborne, climb to and hold 250 feet (with a +/- 50-foot margin for error). The ascent to that cruising altitude should be done pretty quickly, within 0.5 nautical mile of the start/finish zone with the payload, and within 0.2 nautical mile without it. That altitude should be held until the pilot verbally announces to the lane coordinator they are beginning the descent. After four nautical miles, return to the landing zone to drop the payload. This must be a controlled release, with the payload or aircraft touching the ground before the plates are let go — no airdropping. (Plates being released from a landed aircraft and falling a short distance is not considered an “airdrop.”) After that, the final unloaded mile is flown before coming in for the final landing. The center of the UAS must land vertically within the designated 5-foot radius circle. The landing is considered successful only if the aircraft is ready to fly again without any repairs (beyond basic safety checks). Remember, the entire mission must be under 30 minutes.

If you make a mistake, you can head back to the start and try again if time allows. The lane coordinator will try to flag any infractions in real-time, but a post-flight data review might also uncover an issue. The coordinator also has the authority to stop a flight at any time for safety reasons. If the stop was due to a team's error, any time lost is forfeited. If it was for an external issue, an effort will be made to credit that time back if possible. Any decision made by a coordinator can be appealed for a final ruling.

Finally, flights will only be conducted during daylight hours and in weather deemed safe by officials. That means no flights will start in the rain or if winds are blowing over 25 knots. If the weather turns bad mid-flight, the lane coordinator will assess the risk and make a judgment call. For momentary weather spikes, we will work on an “Advantage” style system like sports, were if the Lane Coordinator deems it is safe, a team can continue to fly and post a score. (e.g.: if you are almost done with a run and the wind spikes above 25kts with no safety effects, you will be allowed to continue and post your score).

Scoring, Safety, and Fair Play

Scoring comes down to a simple ratio, your Maximum Payload Weight divided by your Aircraft's Weight. The highest ratio wins. In case of a tie, the heaviest absolute payload wins. As a secondary tiebreaker for teams that carried the same payload, the team with the faster time wins.

Every team needs a designated RPIC who performs a thorough pre-flight inspection with a DARPA official present before every flight. You must also have your emergency procedures planned out, an easily accessible "kill switch" on your UAS, and provide proof of insurance and FAA aircraft certification before you can fly.

If you believe another team has broken the rules, you can file an official protest within 24 hours of the alleged violation. DARPA will investigate and make a final decision. 

To be eligible to receive prize money, the Lift Challenge requires registrants' Social Security Number (SSN) or Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). See Rules for additional eligibility requirements.

Objective Categories

Overall Payload-to-Weight Ratio
This is the primary metric, with prizes awarded to first ($2.5M), second ($1.5M), and third ($1M) place.

• Measurement: Payload and aircraft weight in pounds (lbs), as measured by a certified and calibrated scale. The scale must have a resolution of at least 0.1 lbs (0.045 kg).
   
• Scoring: The primary metric is the maximum payload weight divided by the aircraft weight. In the event of a tie, the team with the highest payload weight will be declared the winner. If a tie persists, the team with the fastest time will be declared the winner. Each team will be evaluated based on its ‘most successful’ singular run across all of its attempts. Please note score signifies payload weight (lbs) / aircraft weight (lbs).
   
• Verification: DARPA representative will weigh the aircraft and payload right before flight.
   
• Payload requirement: Teams must meet a minimum of 110 lbs payload and follow the course rules for score consideration. The top three teams will receive the full prize award if they are above the 4:1 ratio. If they are below the 4:1 ratio, the team will receive 50% of the prize award.

Subjective Categories

These categories will be judged by a panel of DARPA experts and will be based on a combination of technical merit, innovation, and potential impact.

• Most Revolutionary Aerodynamic Design ($500,000)
  Evaluation Criteria: Novelty of the design, potential for improved performance (e.g., lift, drag, stability), and feasibility of operation.
   
• Most Revolutionary Powertrain Design ($500,000)
  Evaluation Criteria: Novelty of the propulsion system, potential for improved efficiency, reliability, and scalability.
   
• Most Promising ($500,000)
  Evaluation Criteria: Overall potential of the design to meet customer’s needs, considering factors such as cost, performance, scalability, usability, and transition potential.

Eligibility

• Intent to compete: Individuals and teams must attempt to complete the course, high performance and completion of the course is desired but not required to be eligible for this prize category.
  
  Example: You have a novel design, but crashed on takeoff.
   
• A team who wins an objective category can also be eligible for one or more subjective categories.

These dates are generic, and specific dates will be announced here and the email distribution list.

Phase 1 | Launch 

October 2025

• Special Notice publishing: DARPA publishes a Special Notice to broadly announce the Lift Challenge and solicit innovative design concepts.
• Website goes live: Official Challenge website launches, providing comprehensive information, eligibility criteria, and application details.
• Rules and prize announcement: Detailed rules and prize structure are announced, specifying objective and subjective judging criteria.

December 2025

• Online Q&A: DARPA hosts online Q&A session(s) to address potential participants' questions and clarify challenge requirements.

Phase 2 | Design and build

January 2026

• Application period begins: DARPA begins accepting competition applications, allowing interested teams and individuals to officially request to participate in the competition.
• FAA certification submission: Teams begin to submit their pilot certification and as well as the experimental certification.
• Draft concept paper submission: Teams submit a draft concept paper outlining their proposed UAS design, technical approach, and key performance metrics for consistent engagement throughout design.

March 2026

• Build progress picture submission: Teams will submit to DARPA progress picture and videos of the building of their aircraft to ensure consistent engagement.

May 2026

• Flight test verification: Teams will submit pictures and videos to demonstrate the performance and safety of the UAV.
• Final concept paper submission: Testing is complete and analysis and information are ready for review.
• FAA certification approval: All FAA certifications must be approved in Phase 2 prior to formal team invitation to compete.
• Application period closed

Phase 3 | Competition & Evaluation

June 2026

• Formal team invitation to compete: All teams have completed any pre-qualifications needed at this point for their design. DARPA will formally invite teams that have met all eligibility requirements and announce challenge schedule to include assigned flight windows.
• Weigh-in and inspection: A comprehensive weigh-in and systems inspection process will take place to document the details of the aircraft.
• Challenge run through: Teams will compete across multiple flight windows to achieve an eligible score. The highest score of the flight window will be submitted for review at the end of each flight window. The highest overall score for a team will be maintained throughout the competition.
• Challenge completion: The challenge week concludes with an awards ceremony recognizing the top performers in both objective and subjective categories. A panel of DARPA experts will judge the final subjective winners for the competition.