Unmanned systems in the CCA programme: US Air Force selects Shield AI as mission autonomy provider

The US Air Force has selected US company Shield AI as mission autonomy provider for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) programme. This followed a competitive selection process to support the Technology Maturity and Risk Reduction (TMRR) phase. What is needed is software that enables unmanned systems to act independently.

As part of the programme, Shield AI's Hivemind autonomy software has already been successfully integrated into Anduril's Fury aircraft (YFQ-44A). System-wide tests are currently under way in preparation for flight demonstrations, which are expected in the coming months.

We are proud to support the US Air Force in the CCA programme as mission autonomy provider— Gary Steele, CEO of Shield AI

The Air Force is moving at high speed to advance how autonomy can change future air combat. We have prepared for this over years – with real-world testing, flight trials and operational integration. Together with the Air Force and our industry partners, we want to shape the next generation of air warfare.— Gary Steele, CEO of Shield AI

Hivemind controls unmanned systems

As Shield AI's central artificial intelligence (AI) software platform, Hivemind takes on the role of a human pilot or operator. The platform perceives its environment, makes decisions and acts independently. Whereas conventional autopilots fly predefined routes, Hivemind can adapt flight routes dynamically, fly around restricted zones, avoid or engage obstacles, react to the unexpected and complete missions successfully without human intervention.

Delivering true mission autonomy under combat conditions is technologically highly complex— Christian Gutierrez, Vice President Hivemind Solutions at Shield AI

We have invested more than a decade in developing Hivemind and the operational foundation to master this challenge. Our team has proven experience in integrating mission-critical autonomy into complex weapon systems and works with a development model designed for speed.— Christian Gutierrez, Vice President Hivemind Solutions at Shield AI

The Hivemind software is platform-agnostic; it complies with the Autonomy Government Reference Architecture (A-GRA) and has already been used in several government and industry test programmes. Among others, it has been tested with the MQ-20 Avenger from General Atomics, the Talon IQ autonomy system from Northrop Grumman, the US Navy's BQM-177 target aircraft and the UH-72A Lakota helicopter from Airbus.