US-German autonomous software company Auterion and Ukrainian defense firm Airlogix have formed a joint venture to produce AI-guided unmanned aerial systems for Ukraine and allied nations.
The company was established with support from the German and Ukrainian governments to strengthen European defense industrial cooperation and sustain Ukraine’s defense capabilities.
Announced at the Munich Security Conference, the Auterion Airlogix Joint Venture GmbH combines Ukrainian operational expertise with NATO-standard autonomous software and European manufacturing capacity.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German Federal Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius, Auterion CEO Lorenz Meier, and Airlogix CEO Vitalii Kolesnichenko attended the signing ceremony.
Airlogix will contribute with its combat-tested drone platforms, while Auterion will provide AI guidance, autonomous navigation, and electronic warfare resilience software.
Procurement Plans
Under the joint venture, Kyiv has requested thousands of systems for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, with deliveries to be coordinated through the German Federal Ministry of Defence.
According to Auterion, the order represents one of the largest European commitments to drone production for Ukraine to date.
The systems comply with German munitions procurement standards, and production will take place in Germany to ensure supply chain reliability and rapid scaling for operational needs.
Initial deliveries are expected this year.
“Ukrainian companies have developed unique expertise through years of combat operations,” said Kolesnichenko.
“This partnership allows us to scale that experience through European industrial capacity while integrating the most advanced autonomous systems available. Together, we are building the future of allied drone warfare.”
Joint Production Initiatives
Kyiv and its Western partners are expanding joint production programs to integrate Ukrainian systems with NATO standards, boost interoperability, and leverage combat-proven capabilities from Ukraine’s defense firms, with several initiatives focused on unmanned systems.
Last year, the UK and Ukraine launched the LYRA program, a partnership to jointly develop and expand battlefield technologies by combining industrial and scientific expertise to enhance both countries’ defense capabilities.
One of the first projects under LYRA, Project OCTOPUS, focuses on co-developing a new air defense interceptor drone.
In addition, the Dutch government has committed 110 million euros ($127 million) to jointly producing deep-strike drones with Kyiv.
