Ukrainian drone operators have been using $400 Shrike drones to destroy Russian armored vehicles and helicopters. Now, thousands of these drones are being upgraded with AI-powered autonomy developed by the US company Auterion. This upgrade allows drones to autonomously track and home in on moving targets using only onboard visual information, removing the need for GPS—a crucial advantage against common electronic jamming.

Under a $100 million deal, the companies plan to deliver 50,000 drones equipped with Auterion’s Skynode S strike kits. This technology allows a human operator to manually fly the drone to a battlefield area, designate a target, and then switch to "fire-and-forget" mode. Even if the radio signal is lost due to terrain or jamming, the drone can complete its mission.

Auterion’s technology also aims to enable drone swarming, where a single operator commands multiple drones to prioritize targets. While this simplifies the piloting skills required—allowing operators to be trained in as little as 60 seconds—the company emphasizes that a human remains in the target selection process to make life-or-death decisions.