Known for providing an open-source-based, enterprise operating system for drones called Auterion Enterprise PX4, Auterion has announced two new hires, and a U.S. office to guide the company’s growth.

David Sharpin, formerly vice president of Sales and Business Development for AeroVironment, has been named the General Manager for Auterion U.S., while Marco Bill-Peter, current SVP Red Hat, has been named an Auterion Board Member.

Auterion notes that currently, the Defense Department’s drones run largely on custom software that is created and maintained by several military contractors. The open source software development model is starting to change that, though, according to Auterion.

Auterion says that the constant advancements of PX4, the software that powers a UAS, are “pushing the Pentagon to rethink” how it operates and upgrades its UAS. Just last month, Auterion was awarded a $2 million project from the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to enhance PX4, as part of the new Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR), Group 1 effort.

“In the current geopolitical situation, we are seeing a surge in demand for trusted software,” says Auterion U.S. GM David Sharpin.

“The open source nature of Auterion’s secure Enterprise platform not only outpaces proprietary systems in innovation speed and new capabilities but also ensures trust from authorities and end-users in the US.”

Based on open standards, PX4’s open source code makes it auditable by its users and the authorities, which can help boost transparency outside the industry, which ultimately helps build confidence among the public and regulators.

Both the commercial and government UAS industries currently use Auterion’s operating system.

“We are excited about the future that open source will unlock in both the private and public government sector for commercial drones,” says Lorenz Meier, co-founder of Auterion and creator of PX4, Pixhawk, MAVLink, and QGC (the most widely adopted permissively licensed open source projects in the drone industry).

“With this stellar team in place, our auditable software, backed by the U.S. government, will guide and scale the future of drones in the US.”