Shield AI Awarded U.S. Air Force Contract for Collaborative Combat Aircraft Autonomy

Jun 18, 2026
Shield AI has received a production contract from the U.S. Air Force to implement its Hivemind mission autonomy software for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, allowing multiple autonomous aircraft to operate together under human supervision.
Shield AI Awarded U.S. Air Force Contract for Collaborative Combat Aircraft Autonomy

Shield AI has been awarded a production contract by the U.S. Air Force to implement its Hivemind mission autonomy software for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, announced in a press release.

The Air Force is adopting a software-first approach to mission autonomy, allowing upgrades to be developed and deployed independently of aircraft hardware. This is enabled by the Autonomy Government Reference Architecture, which supports faster software iteration and reduced integration costs.

Under the contract, Shield AI will focus on implementing collaborative combat autonomy behaviors that coordinate multiple unmanned aircraft under human supervision. This setup aims to reduce operator workload and allow for synchronized missions across several platforms.

Hivemind is platform-agnostic and designed to act as a virtual pilot, enabling unmanned systems to sense, decide, and act without preplanned routes. It can collaborate with both autonomous and piloted aircraft, adapt to dynamic conditions, and execute missions as part of a human-machine team.

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