Auterion is gearing up to deliver 33,000 AI-powered drone kits to Ukraine by the end of 2025 under a $50 million U.S. Defense Department contract. This marks a massive 10x scale-up from previous shipments.
The kits include Skynode compact computers with Auterion’s software, cameras, and radios. They turn manually controlled drones into autonomous units that resist jamming and track targets up to a kilometer away.
CEO Lorenz Meier called the shipment size “unprecedented” and stressed the software’s role in boosting “AI-based targeting and swarming” capabilities on the battlefield. Human operators will have final say on target selection. 
“We’ve shipped thousands and we’re now shipping tens of thousands,” Lorenz Meier said.
Russia’s drone attacks on Ukraine have ramped up sharply, with over 700 drones launched in a single day earlier this month. Ukraine expects those strikes could hit 1,000 daily soon.
To fight back, Ukraine is ramping up domestic interceptor drone production aiming for 1,000 interceptors daily. Auterion’s kits will complement—not compete with—local drone makers.
“They have a fantastic drone industry,” Meier said. “What we want to contribute are things that they do not have already and that are more software-defined warfare-centric.”
Auterion also plans more European deals, including in Germany, a major backer of Ukraine. With Ukraine fast becoming a global drone innovation hub, this latest contract pushes AI drone tech deeper into modern conflict.
