**Ukraine to Receive 33,000 AI-Powered Drone Kits in Pentagon Deal**
The United States Defense Department has signed a new contract with the U.S.-German software firm Auterion to provide Ukraine with 33,000 artificial intelligence-powered drone kits by the end of the year. This is a significant increase from previous deliveries, which were in the thousands.
According to Lorenz Meier, CEO of Auterion, the upcoming shipment is unprecedented in scale. The company’s software is already being used in Ukrainian drones that are conducting combat operations against Russian forces. With this new contract, Auterion will be able to provide Ukraine with a significant boost in its drone capabilities.
Russia has intensified its aerial assaults on Ukraine in recent weeks, frequently deploying hundreds of Iranian-designed Shahed drones in single attacks. In fact, on July 9 alone, Russia launched more than 700 aerial weapons in a single day – more than the total number used during some entire months earlier in the war. Moscow’s attacks are expected to only get worse, with Ukrainian officials predicting Russian drone strikes could escalate to 1,000 per day.
To counter this relentless campaign, President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that Ukrainian domestic production of interceptor drones is underway. The goal is to produce enough interceptors to launch at least 1,000 a day.
Auterion’s drone kits will complement Ukraine’s existing drone production. The kits, which include compact computers known as Skynode, equipped with the Auterion software and a camera, can convert manually operated drones into autonomous systems capable of resisting jamming and tracking moving targets from up to one kilometer away.
**A Critical Component in Ukraine’s War Effort**
The U.S.-German company secured a nearly $50 million Defense Department contract as part of the U.S. government’s broader security assistance to Ukraine. Meier emphasized that Auterion aims to support, rather than compete with, Ukraine’s domestic drone industry.
“We 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 expects to finalize additional software agreements with European countries, such as Germany – the second-largest military backer of Ukraine after the United States. With this deal, Ukraine will become even more prominent in the global drone innovation scene.
**The Future of Warfare: AI-Powered Drone Swarms**
Meier said that Auterion’s software could enable the next phase of warfare by allowing autonomous drone swarms to communicate and coordinate in real time. This is a significant development in the use of artificial intelligence in military operations.
While AI can enhance targeting capabilities, human operators will retain the final authority to select targets. Meier emphasized that this technology has the potential to “leapfrog” what’s currently on the battlefield, enabling more sophisticated and coordinated drone attacks.
As Ukraine continues to be a testing ground for cutting-edge military technology, this deal with Auterion marks an important milestone in the country’s efforts to counter Russia’s aerial campaign.
