The Pentagon will procure 33,000 AI kits for drones for Ukraine at $50 million

The Pentagon has signed a $50 million contract with the Swiss company Auterion for the supply of 33,000 "strike kits" equipped with artificial intelligence for drones to Ukraine.

"We have previously sent thousands of our AI strike systems to Ukraine, but this new deployment increases support by more than ten times. This is important not only for the defense of Ukraine but also marks significant progress in drone warfare technology," said the company’s CEO Lorenz Meyer.

Auterion's "Strike Kits" are based on Skynode technology and transform manually operated drones into autonomous weapon systems with AI targeting. Once activated, they become resistant to radio interference and can reliably track and hit moving targets at distances of up to one kilometer.

Auterion is an international company in the field of defense software and a provider of AI drone solutions. The effectiveness of its Skynode systems has already been confirmed in combat conditions in Ukraine and integrated in Taiwan, according to the announcement.

"They ensure high-precision operations in complex combat environments, significantly enhancing mission effectiveness and reducing vulnerability to electronic warfare capabilities. The contract underscores Auterion's strategic role in the development of autonomous defense and strengthens the U.S. commitments in the field of autonomous weapon technologies," emphasized Auterion.

In 2022, Ukraine became the first country to widely apply artificial intelligence and autonomous technologies in the context of a full-scale war. In 2024, the government announced the creation of a defense AI technology center in collaboration with international partners. However, the state budget for these tasks remains limited, with various estimates ranging from $200–400 million per year.

There is also extensive collaboration with startups and volunteer projects on AI analytics, computer vision, and tactical navigation. Despite limited funding, flexibility, speed of implementation, and field adaptation make the Ukrainian experience unique — it is studied worldwide, including by NATO.

The Russian Federation is betting on mass production and actively developing cheap UAVs, AI for munitions, electronic warfare systems, and autonomous navigation. Most of the expenses are classified, but independent estimates indicate $300–500 million per year (2023). The growing share of AI integration is confirmed by the increase in Russia's overall military budget (+30% in 2025).

Senior researcher at the RAND Corporation and former acting deputy secretary of science and technology at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Daniel Gershtein emphasized that the use of drones has changed the nature of modern warfare, especially now, when AI targeting is being used in active combat zones.

"We are witnessing a game of cat and mouse, where each side is trying to implement innovations in real time. Some are developing drones capable of striking from long distances. Others are developing countermeasures," said the expert.

AI-controlled drones do not rely on remote operators, which provides an advantage in situations where radio signals may be jammed.

The start of supplies to Ukraine under the new agreement is scheduled for 2025.

Recall that in July, the U.S. Department of Defense awarded contracts totaling up to $200 million to companies Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, and xAI for the development of AI solutions in the security field.