Shield AI Joins US Air Force JADC2 Effort

Shield AI is one of many companies that have been awarded a $950 million ceiling contract by the US Air Force for the maturation, demonstration and proliferation of capability across platforms and domains, leveraging open systems design, modern software and algorithm development in order to enable Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2). 

This indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract is part of a multiple award multi-level security effort to provide development and operation of systems as a unified force across all domains (air, land, sea, space, cyber, and electromagnetic spectrum) in an open architecture family of systems that enables capabilities via multiple integrated platforms.  

Shield AI’s Hivemind software is a self-driving autonomy stack for military and commercial aircraft that enables intelligent teams of aircraft to perform missions ranging from room clearance, to penetrating air defense systems and dogfighting F-16s. 

Hivemind employs state-of-the-art algorithms for planning, mapping, and state-estimation to enable aircraft to execute dynamic flight maneuvers and uses reinforcement learning for discovery, learning, and execution of winning tactics and strategies. 

On aircraft, Hivemind enables full autonomy and is designed to run fully on the edge in high threat, GPS and communication degraded environments. 

“AI Pilots are critical to JADC2 because they enable teams of autonomous aircraft operation on the edge, in denied environments,” said Brandon Tseng, Shield AI’s President, cofounder and former Navy SEAL. “Having the greatest C2 or battle-management software in the world doesn’t matter if you don’t have assets that can actually maneuver autonomously, reading and reacting inside high threat, GPS and comms-denied environments to execute commander’s intent. At the end of the day, that’s where the battles will be fought and where wars will be won.”