Arlington, VA – Auterion, a global leader in defense drone software and AI-enabled autonomous systems, today announced the successful completion of the Defense Innovation Unit’s Artemis project. The program delivered a deep strike drone proven in Ukraine with up to 1,000 miles range and visual targeting.
The Artemis system is a design similar to a Shahed drone, developed in Ukraine and with manufacturing lines being built in the U.S., Ukraine, and Germany. It offers a 1,000-mile range and can carry warheads of up to 40 kilograms. It relies on Auterion’s Skynode N mission computer and Auterion Visual Navigation system, enabling the drone to navigate and strike targets even when satellite-based navigation is disrupted. The built-in terminal guidance ensures pinpoint accuracy in the final stage of flight.
Auterion is partnered, for the Artemis program, with a Ukrainian hardware manufacturer, whose name is being kept confidential for operational security reasons. Auterion has built partnerships with U.S. and European manufacturers to scale up long range applications. Bringing learnings from the battlefield in Ukraine to U.S. forces and allied partners is a key contribution of Auterion to national security.
Government evaluators have signed off on the program after operational flight tests in Ukraine. The tests included ground launch, GPS and GPS?denied navigation, long-range transit, and terminal engagement. Following these successful evaluations, Auterion now offers the system to the U.S. Department of War and allied nations, with manufacturing capabilities established in both the United States and Europe.
“Software-driven autonomy is changing the nature of deterrence,” said Lorenz Meier, CEO of Auterion. “Our Artemis entrant is designed for mass production and rapid deployment, enabling partner nations to field resilient autonomous strike capabilities at scale. We are ready to build the long-range deterrence force needed to tackle new challenges, especially in the Indo?Pacific.”
The long range drone is part of Auterion’s larger portfolio of short to long-range, one-way attack drones being developed under U.S. defense initiatives. The system leverages Auterion’s open architecture and battle-tested software to ensure rapid adaptability and seamless integration within the broader defense ecosystem. This effort is building on the company’s proven track record of supplying AI?enabled strike kits to Ukraine.
With the Artemis program concluded, Auterion is entering the scale-up phase with the Department of War and allied partners to work towards co?production at mass scale. The company is committed to supporting domestic U.S. production while delivering a common software layer that ensures interoperability and continuous improvement. “This isn’t a black box. It’s a scalable platform that our partners can build and evolve,” Meier added.
