US drone company owned by Google's former CEO won a Department of War competition with a huge lead — but that was not the biggest surprise

(Image credit: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Eric Schmidt's Perennial Autonomy wins Gauntlet II deep strike with 80.1 points, with a massive 9.2-point margin over the competition

All four entrants tied directly to Ukrainian drone makers, including a Gauntlet I order winner, missed both top-five lists

Ukraine's SkyFall still placed fourth indirectly in deep strike through British partner Skycutter, and Defender Media says another hidden Ukrainian firm also performed well

Perennial Autonomy, the drone company founded and funded by former…