Ukraine to Receive 33,000 AI-Based Guidance Modules for Drones

The US-German software firm Auterion will supply Ukraine with tens of thousands of AI-powered guidance modules for drones, the Financial Times reported.

Auterion CEO Lorenz Meier said the company will deliver 33,000 systems by the end of the year under a new contract with the Pentagon.

Auterion’s software is already integrated into Ukrainian drones used in combat operations against Russian forces.

However, Meier told the Financial Times that the new contract is “ten times larger than the previous one.”

“We have already sent thousands, and now we are sending tens of thousands,” he said, calling the scale “unprecedented.”

The company’s core product is a miniature Skynode computer equipped with a proprietary software package, camera, and radio module. It can convert manually piloted drones into autonomous systems that resist jamming and can detect and track moving targets up to 1 km away.

Meier emphasized that Auterion is not seeking to compete with Ukraine’s domestic drone manufacturers.

“They have a fantastic drone industry. We want to contribute what they don’t yet have—software-based warfare,” he said.
According to Meier, Auterion’s systems will enable an “evolutionary step in warfare,” allowing autonomous drone swarms to communicate with one another.

Previously, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense launched the K4 Startup Studio program to support military startups developing AI-based solutions.