U.S. Department of Defense places trust in Auterion

The majority of drones worldwide fly with the open source software PX4 created by Auterion. Companies including Amazon and DHL already use the Zurich startup’s software. Auterion has now impressed the United States Department of Defense with its software. Its Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has concluded a contract with Auterion worth U$2 million, it was reported in a press release.

Over a 12-month performance period, Auterion will develop the software for DIU,  with a particular focus on cybersecurity improvements. The advancements will enhance the software for both government and commercial drone applications. According to Auterion co-founder Lorenz Meier, this project will benefit the entire drone ecosystem.

In addition to this contract with the U.S. Department of Defense, Auterion also revealed a collaboration with GE Aviation for the integration of the PX4 software into GE’s Unmanned Aircraft System avionics platform.

Auterion was only founded a little over a year ago but has already outgrown two offices. At the start of the year, Lorenz Meier told Bilanz newspaper that the startup is doubling its number of employees every six months. It will remain firmly rooted in Switzerland. “This is where you can find drone expertise and a pool of talent, with engineers also being more than 40 percent cheaper than on the West Coast of the USA,” said the other co-founder Kevin Sartori in the Bilanz article.