Auterion Raises $130M to Scale AI Drone Swarm Software for Defense

Auterion, a US- and Germany-based drone software startup, has raised $130 million in Series B funding led by Bessemer Venture Partners to expand its AI-enabled operating system for autonomous drone swarms used in defense. The company's AuterionOS platform enables coordinated operations of drones across air, land, and sea, allowing one operator to manage fleets from multiple manufacturers in real-world combat, including active deployment in Ukraine. The funding includes $25 million in non-dilutive capital from the US Department of War, reflecting strong investor confidence in software-defined, unmanned mass operations as the future of warfare. Auterion collaborates with governments and defense partners worldwide, including the US, Germany, Ukraine, Taiwan, and the UK, aiming to provide swarming capabilities to democratic allies and improve battlefield effectiveness. CEO Lorenz Meier emphasizes that decisive battlefield advantage will come from autonomous mass rather than individual drones, with software acting as the key differentiator over hardware. This shift towards AI-driven drone swarms represents a major transformation in defense, moving from artisanal hardware production to scalable, software-defined warfare systems.