Perennial Autonomy
About
About Perennial Autonomy
Perennial Autonomy develops autonomous military drones for counter-UAS, surveillance and strike missions. Its Merops family provides interceptors, Bumblebee quadcopters support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance as well as drone interception, and Hornet addresses medium-range strike. The systems combine computer vision, radio-frequency detection, jam-resistant communications and onboard autonomy for operations in contested environments.
The company develops its hardware with operational input from Ukraine and supplies systems for fixed-site protection and expeditionary units. Bumblebee V2 is a ground-to-air and air-to-air kinetic interceptor that disables a hostile drone through direct contact. In 2026, a $5.2 million US defence agreement funded Bumblebee deliveries, followed by a three-year indefinite-delivery contract with a ceiling of $500 million covering Perennial's wider defensive portfolio. These awards provide a route for scaled procurement across US operating theatres.
Articles
Products
Operations
Orders & commitments
- Order / commitment
2026-10-01 - The Pentagon ordered 8,000 Perennial Autonomy drones after Gauntlet II. Deliveries and the ordered model were not identified. - Pentagon Drone Dominance Gauntlet II order
Source - Order / commitment
2026-05-19 - The Pentagon awarded Perennial Autonomy a $500 million JIATF-401 contract for AI-enabled counter-UAS systems including Merops interceptors, Bumblebee quadcopters, and Hornet drones. - JIATF-401 counter-UAS procurement - counter-UAS procurement program
Source - Order / commitment
2026-05-05 - Lithuania bought 48 Merops interceptors from Perennial Autonomy after Merops deployments and training with Polish and Romanian forces. - ordered systems
Source
Supply
Supply chain relationships
- Joint Interagency Task Force 401
Outbound - Counter UAS Systems - JIATF-401 awarded Perennial a contract for Merops, Bumblebee and Hornet counter-UAS systems
Source
Team
- Eric Schmidt - Founder / launch sponsor
- Will Roper - Defense innovation leader
Timeline
Events
- 2026-10-01 - Contract Award - Perennial Autonomy receives 8,000-drone Pentagon order after Gauntlet II
Perennial placed first in the deep-strike category with 80.1 points, 9.2 points ahead of the next competitor. The evaluation at Fort Carson included day and night operations and contested beyond-visual-line-of-sight testing. Eleven providers competed in the deep-strike category.
Source - 2026-08-03 - Demonstration - Perennial trains U.S. Marines with Bumblebee counter-drone system
The activity took place during Service Level Training Exercise 4-26 and marked the first Marine unit to work directly with Perennial. Marines flew Bumblebee V1 and Hornet aircraft while AS-3 Merops demonstrated autonomous interception against a Hornet target. The official Marine Corps report said the Department of War was expected to receive Perennial systems within weeks.
Source - 2026-05-18 - Contract Award - Perennial Autonomy wins $500M JIATF-401 counter-UAS procurement contract
The Pentagon awarded Perennial Autonomy a $500 million contract through JIATF-401 to accelerate counter-UAS procurement. The contract covers AI-enabled systems including Merops interceptors, Bumblebee quadcopters, and Hornet midrange strike drones. The award is a major fielding signal for low-cost counter-drone systems already being used by U.S. forces.
Source - 2026-05-13 - Demonstration - Twentyfour demonstrates Merops counter-UAS interceptor to German Armed Forces
Merops is a low-cost counter-drone interceptor developed by Perennial Autonomy. Twentyfour's role spans European manufacturing, system deployment and soldier training.
Source - 2026-05-05 - Commercial Order - Lithuania buys 48 Merops interceptors as NATO evaluates low-cost counter-UAS systems
Lithuania bought 48 Merops interceptors from Perennial Autonomy on April 22, 2026. The purchase followed Merops deployments and training with Polish and Romanian forces along NATO's eastern flank. Perennial confirmed Merops can intercept Shahed, Gerbera and similar targets, giving the product a clear NATO procurement signal outside the U.S. contract.
Source - 2026-04-22 - Demonstration - JIATF-401 begins Bumblebee V2 operational testing at Fort Bragg
On 22 April 2026, 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers joined an inaugural training event at Fort Bragg that marked JIATF-401's first operational test of Bumblebee V2 prototypes. The V2 is a first-person-view multirotor funded through a $5.2 million February 2026 investment, with updated camera sensors and software for automated target recognition. About 20 soldiers handled the system and provided feedback as the Army evaluated a low-cost, layered counter-UAS capability intended to support target identification and air-to-air interception.
Source
Relations
Relationships
- Twentyfour Industries
European C UAS Manufacturing And Deployment Partner - Twentyfour and Perennial Autonomy are working on European manufacturing, deployment and soldier training for the Merops counter-UAS interceptor.
- U.S. Marine Corps
Military User - Perennial trained a U.S. Marine Corps unit on its autonomous aircraft systems.
- Pentagon / JIATF-401
Counter UAS Procurement Customer - Perennial Autonomy received a $500 million Pentagon / JIATF-401 contract for AI-enabled counter-UAS systems.
- Lithuania
Merops Interceptor Customer - Lithuania bought 48 Merops interceptors from Perennial Autonomy.
- U.S. Department of Defense / Drone Dominance
Drone Dominance Procurement Customer - The Pentagon ordered 8,000 drones from Perennial Autonomy following Drone Dominance Gauntlet II.
Context
Comparable profiles
- Origin Robotics
comparable profile
- AeroVironment
comparable profile
- Shield AI
stack adjacency
Commercial
- Perennial Autonomy receives 8,000-drone Pentagon order after Gauntlet II
2026-10-01 · Order / contract · The Pentagon ordered 8,000 drones from Perennial Autonomy following the second Drone Dominance Gauntlet, according to Defense News.
Source - Perennial Autonomy wins $500M JIATF-401 counter-UAS procurement contract
2026-05-18 · Order / contract
Source - Lithuania buys 48 Merops interceptors as NATO evaluates low-cost counter-UAS systems
2026-05-05 · Order / contract
Source