Uniform standard

Rheinmetall to develop drone operating system

The various systems make training the military very costly and time-consuming.(Bild: TeteraX)

The German armaments group Rheinmetall wants to develop operating systems for combat drones together with the US software company Auterion. Both companies signed an agreement to this effect and are thus aiming for long-term cooperation, Rheinmetall announced on Monday. 

They wanted to jointly create a military industry standard for the control and operation of unmanned drone systems in the air, on land and at sea.

A standardized operating system should give military users of drones a significant advantage. "Drones will be used in large numbers in the future and, like computers and smartphones, will require a common operating system," said Auterion CEO Lorenz Meier.

AuterionOS allows customers to bring all drones onto a common basis and integrate different manufacturers into a common architecture.

System proliferation
Over 200 different systems are in use in Ukraine, said Rheinmetall Digital CEO Timo Haas. As a result, training the military is very costly and time-consuming. The cooperation with Auterion should change this.

Rheinmetall drone systems are used by the German Bundeswehr, among others, and are also in use in Ukraine. Drones are used in Ukraine for reconnaissance and combat missions, among other things.