Company evolves from open-source drone software to global defense solutions
Auterion has announced the close of a $130 million Series B funding round, led by Bessemer Venture Partners. The investment will accelerate the company’s push to deliver AI-enabled software for autonomous systems at scale, transforming how drones and other platforms are used in defense.
From Open Source to Defense Software
Auterion began as a provider of open-source drone autopilot software, helping manufacturers and developers build flexible and cost-effective platforms. Over the past several years, however, the company has evolved into a defense software provider as the industry itself – and the war in Ukraine – has shifted. Today, AuterionOS serves as an operating system for autonomous mass operations, enabling coordinated use of drones across air, land, and sea.
CEO Lorenz Meier explained the company’s approach: “The future of warfare is software-defined, unmanned, and at scale. Auterion’s customers are taking the lessons from Ukraine and applying them to deploying drone swarms. Decisive advantage on the battlefield won’t be achieved by individual drones – it’ll be achieved by autonomous mass.”
Battlefield Lessons from Ukraine
Auterion’s technology is already in use in Ukraine, where it powers autonomous operations in active combat zones. Under a Pentagon contract, the company is delivering tens of thousands of AI “strike kits” to Ukrainian forces. This represents the largest deployment of autonomous technology in the West to date, and a major scale-up from earlier efforts.
“The war in Ukraine has demonstrated that advancements in AI combined with commercially available hardware has changed the nature and economics of warfare, enabling new defensive and offensive capabilities at lower cost,” said Alex Ferrara, Partner at Bessemer. “Auterion is at the forefront of this seismic shift, as the defence industry switches from peace time artisan hardware to war time mass production to defend democratic allies from foreign aggressors.”
Building Drone Swarms
The company’s AuterionOS platform allows one operator to control fleets from multiple manufacturers as part of a single, coordinated system. Its Skynode X module adds AI-powered autonomy, secure communications, and edge computing to existing platforms, making them more resilient to jamming and battlefield conditions.
Unlike proprietary systems, Auterion’s open architecture allows for interoperability across partners. This approach has led to collaborations with defense contractors such as Rheinmetall and Lockheed Martin, as well as aerospace manufacturers in allied nations.
Funding for Scale
The $130 million round includes $25 million in non-dilutive capital from the U.S. Department of War, supported by the Office of Strategic Capital. Existing investors Lakestar, Mosaic Ventures, and Costanoa Ventures also participated.
The company, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, maintains engineering teams in Zurich and Munich, with personnel on the ground in Kyiv supporting Ukrainian defense operations.
As Auterion scales, its mission remains focused on making advanced autonomy accessible. “We have a moral obligation to support democratic nations,” said Meier. “Our technology ensures humans remain in control of targeting decisions while providing the autonomous capabilities needed to defend against – and deter – authoritarian threats.”
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Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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