Pentagon Supercharges Ukraine’s Drones With 33,000 AI Guidance Systems

Ukraine is set to receive 33,000 artificial intelligence-powered drone guidance modules from the US-German software developer Auterion, under a new $50 million contract funded by the US Department of Defense.

According to Financial Times, Auterion CEO Lorenz Meier confirmed that deliveries of the Skynode S modules will be completed by the end of 2025. This marks a tenfold increase over previous shipments.

“These are unprecedented volumes,” Meier told FT. “We’ve already shipped thousands, and now we’re scaling up to tens of thousands.”

The Skynode S is a compact onboard computer with passive cooling, designed to turn manually operated drones into fully autonomous platforms.

Equipped with a camera and radio module, it enables drones to detect, track, and follow moving targets at distances of up to one kilometer—even in contested electromagnetic environments.

Ukrainian forces have already employed earlier versions of Auterion’s software in combat. Meier emphasized that the company is not seeking to compete with Ukraine’s existing drone industry but to complement it with advanced software-driven warfare capabilities.

Auterion’s AI system provides object recognition and target tracking capabilities. Meier claims it transforms drones into “AI-based weapons systems” capable of operating in GPS- and communications-denied environments.

The primary role of the Skynode modules will be to enhance Ukraine’s defenses against long-range strike drones, such as those supplied to Russia by Iran.

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Even at a conservative effectiveness rate of 70–80%, the deployment of 33,000 modules could result in the interception of approximately 23,000 to 26,000 enemy drones. At 90% effectiveness, that number could exceed 29,000.

The modules will also enable communication and coordination among swarms of autonomous drones—an evolutionary step in Ukraine’s drone warfare capabilities, according to Meier.

Earlier, at the LANDEURO 2025 conference in Wiesbaden, General Alexus G. Grynkewich, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, acknowledged that Ukraine is outpacing NATO in drone and tech innovation.

He urged the alliance to learn from Ukraine’s rapid battlefield integration of new technologies, calling it a model for modern warfare.

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