American Shield AI to equip Ukrainian drones with autonomy system

American defence company Shield AI is partnering with a Ukrainian drone manufacturer to integrate its Hivemind autonomy system into the latter’s unmanned aerial vehicles. The Ukrainian company’s name has not been disclosed; the partnership was established through the Brave1 cluster.

Hivemind is Shield AI‘s core product. The AI-based software enables UAVs to carry out complex missions in GPS- and communications-denied environments. It also allows drones to operate as a swarm to achieve mission objectives. The autonomy software is used in Shield AI’s own UAVs:

• The V-BAT reconnaissance drone, which is already deployed in Ukraine;
• The X-BAT fighter jet, flight testing of which is set to begin in the United States later this year.

Shield AI was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in San Diego. According to Bloomberg, the company is in talks to raise $1 billion in investment, which could value it at $12 billion.

Since 2025, Shield AI has maintained a representative office in Ukraine, led by Nataliia Chervona. Defender Media previously reported that Shield AI had begun collaborating with Ukrainian startup Iron Belly, which manufactures strike drones.