Auterion AI lets Ukraine’s $400 Shrike drones track targets

In mid-July 2026, the Ukrainian military started taking delivery of Shrike kamikaze drones equipped with an artificial intelligence system that can autonomously track and strike moving targets, according to Lorenz Meier, CEO of US company Auterion.

The AI-powered hardware and software, developed by Auterion, relies solely on each drone’s onboard camera to home in on targets, eliminating the need for GPS or a constant radio link. An operator flies the drone into a zone, designates a target up to half a mile away, and then switches to fire-and-forget mode; the drone continues tracking even if jamming severs the connection.

Each upgraded Shrike costs about $2,000, up from $400 for a manually piloted version. The rollout is part of a plan to supply 50,000 drones fitted with Auterion’s Skynode S strike kits under a $100 million contract. Germany is funding the order, Reuters reported, and Auterion’s Munich office is fulfilling it.

SkyFall, a Ukrainian firm, manufactures the Shrike. The drones have already destroyed Russian armored vehicles, artillery, electronic-warfare systems, and reportedly two Mi-28 helicopters priced at up to $19 million apiece, the Kyiv Independent said. Auterion had previously committed to delivering 33,000 strike kits to Ukraine in July 2025 under a $50 million Pentagon contract.

The autonomy software runs on a Western-made Arm chip costing $18, replacing a simpler flight controller.

Training a pilot takes roughly 60 seconds, Meier said, since the AI handles terminal guidance after a target is tapped on screen. “We found that we can train people within—I’m not kidding—60 seconds to operate this drone,” he said. Such speed could help Ukraine field more drones with fewer operators and assist other nations lacking trained personnel.

Auterion has also demonstrated drone swarming. During a live-fire exercise at Camp Blanding in Florida, a single operator commanded three autonomous strike drones to prioritize and hit separate targets. The company said the swarm can reallocate munitions on the fly so multiple drones do not wastefully strike the same vehicle.

Meier, who has visited Ukraine eight times, praised the country’s rapid innovation cycle. “The Ukrainian forces are relatively accepting of initial battlefield failure,” he said, allowing companies to iterate toward reliable systems—a contrast with the rigid US military procurement schedule. He envisions a common operating system for autonomous drones from many manufacturers, akin to a smartphone ecosystem.

He stressed that Auterion keeps a human in the target-selection loop. “I believe it’s really good if a human operator makes a life-or-death decision,” Meier said. But he warned that adversaries might force fully autonomous engagements, sending machines against machines in split-second combat.