Shield AI’s artificial intelligence-based software last week flew on and controlled the MQM-178 Firejet aerial target vehicle in multiple flights, marking the sixth type of aircraft piloted by the Hivemind product.
Next up, Hivemind will fly the XQ-58 Valkyrie stealth combat drone—which is slated for later this year—followed by the BQM-177, which is an aerial target. The jet-powered Firejet, Valkyrie, and BQM-177 built by Kratos Defense & Security Solutions [KTOS].
“The collaboration between Kratos and Shield AI over these past months has been nothing short or exceptional and represents the rapid development and testing possible when motivated commercial technology companies work together with a common objective—being first to market with relevant systems to support U.S. national security,” Steve Fendley, president of Kratos’ Unmanned Systems Division, said in a statement.
Hivemind flew on a modified F-16 aircraft in late 2022, an integration that took 900 days. The integration on the MQM-178 took less than six months and Shield AI is working to go faster.
“We’re getting faster and faster at integration,” Brandon Tseng, co-founder and president of Shield AI, posted on
LinkedIn. “What was once a three-year process is now less than six months, thanks to substantial investments in our design tools, infrastructure, and pipeline.”
The Hivemind software offers the potential to support swarms of drones flying autonomously and collaboratively. Shield AI has also integrated and flown the software on its MQ-35 VBAT unmanned aircraft system, including in a teaming concept last summer (Defense Daily, Aug. 30, 2023). Hivemind has also flown on three classes of quadcopters.
Shield AI highlighted that the MQM-178 Firejet, which has a maximum speed of nearly 0.70 Mach, can also work as an offensive and defensive jet-powered unmanned aircraft system at a cost of less than $500,000 per aircraft.