Auterion is rolling out 33,000 AI-powered drone guidance modules to Ukraine under a $50 million U.S.-German contract. Deliveries will finish by the end of 2025, a tenfold increase from earlier shipments.
CEO Lorenz Meier confirmed the massive scale-up to the Financial Times.
“These are unprecedented volumes,” Lorenz Meier stated.
“We’ve already shipped thousands, and now we’re scaling up to tens of thousands.”
The modules, called Skynode S, convert manual drones into autonomous units. They have onboard cameras and radios, letting drones detect, track, and follow targets up to one kilometer away—even in jammed or contested electromagnetic zones.
Earlier versions are already in use by Ukrainian forces. Meier says the goal isn’t to compete with Ukraine’s local drone tech, but to enhance it with advanced AI targeting.
The system adds object recognition and tracking to drones, enabling them to operate without GPS or steady communications—essential for countering Russia’s long-range strike drones supplied by Iran.
At a minimum 70-80% success rate, Ukraine could intercept 23,000 to 26,000 enemy drones with these modules. At 90% effectiveness, interceptions could surpass 29,000. The tech also supports communication among drone swarms, a big step in drone warfare.
NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich, recently recognized Ukraine outpacing NATO in tech innovation and urged NATO to learn from Ukraine’s rapid battlefield tech adoption.
