US Shield AI to integrate obstacle-avoiding AI pilot into Ukrainian drones

13 March, 10:16

A Brave1 delegation

US company Shield AI has partnered with a Ukrainian company to integrate its Hivemind autonomous control system into Ukrainian drones.

Source: Shield AI on X (Twitter)

Details: The project is being implemented through the Brave1 defence cluster.

"Through Brave1, we've partnered with a Ukrainian company to bring Hivemind onto indigenous unmanned systems and scale deployment," Shield AI said after a Brave1 delegation visited the company's facility in Texas.

The manufacturer says Hivemind is Shield AI's core artificial intelligence software that takes on the role of a human pilot or operator, allowing unmanned defence systems to perceive the situation, make decisions and act on them.

Shield AI reports that unlike traditional autopilots that simply follow pre-planned routes, Hivemind can change route, avoid no-fly zones, avoid or interact with obstacles, respond to unforeseen conditions and carry out missions safely and effectively without human involvement.

Delegation of Ukraine’s defence tech cluster Brave1 during a visit to the production facility of Shield AI in the United States.

Photo: Shield AI

The company also noted that the V-BAT drone is already operating in Ukraine, carrying out reconnaissance, surveillance and targeting tasks.

Thanks to its constant presence in Ukraine, this work is continuing side by side with Ukrainian partners, Shield AI added.

V-BAT is a small vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drone in the NATO Class I category. The drone can stay in the air for more than 12 hours and is equipped with a heavy-fuel engine.

The company previously demonstrated the capabilities of the V-BAT reconnaissance drone in harsh Arctic conditions during the NATO Heimdall 26 exercise in Norway. It was reported that V-BAT has already carried out more than 130 missions in Ukraine.

Shield AI has begun training the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Unmanned Systems Forces to operate its V-BAT drones. To support the initiative, the company has also opened an office in Kyiv for a team that includes engineers, mission operations specialists and technical experts.

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