WASHINGTON (March 17, 2026) — Shield AI today announced the successful completion of autonomous flight tests in collaboration with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), integrating Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy software onto MHI’s Affordable Rapid‑Prototyping Mitsubishi‑Drone initiative (ARMD) in under 60 days. The demonstration underscores how advanced autonomy can be rapidly developed, integrated, tested, and flown in support of defense-focused autonomous air operations.  

The flight test, conducted in Ota City, Gunma Prefecture, culminated in two live flight demonstrations, during which two different test aircraft autonomously demonstrated reinforcement learning, trained behaviors, and coordinated motions while tracking a virtual air vehicle. During the first flight, Hivemind used reinforcement learning to autonomously direct the first ARMD in pursuing a virtual object. Hivemind executed more aggressive behaviors to pursue the virtual object during the second flight test, exhibiting advanced reinforcement learning motions on the second ARMD. 

“Our collaboration with MHI demonstrates Hivemind’s ability to transform how autonomous capabilities are designed, integrated, and deployed at scale, enabling operational platforms to support Japan’s evolving defense needs with unprecedented speed,” said Nathan Michael, Shield AI’s chief technology officer. “Flight concepts like this are the future of autonomous airpower, and each flight test marks one step closer to operationalizing at scale.” 

The rapid development of this Japan-made mission autonomy system also demonstrated Hivemind’s ability to significantly shorten the timeline from integration to flight. Working with Shield AI, MHI engineers advanced from software-in-the-loop (SIL) to hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing in under two weeks — a process that had previously taken months — followed by progression to HIL to vehicle-in-the-loop (VIL) testing in an additional two weeks. 

“In previous development efforts, MHI built and maintained an environment that leveraged multiple open-source products to perform in-house coding, AI training, simulation evaluation, and HIL testing, a method for verifying the operation of hardware before installation, which required significant effort. In contrast, by leveraging Hivemind Enterprise for this project, greater focus could be placed on developing mission autonomy,” said Takahiro Katoji, director, Uncrewed Aerial Systems Department, MHI. 

Hivemind is Shield AI’s core artificial intelligence software that enables platforms to sense, decide, and act independently, without human intervention. Unlike traditional autopilots that cannot deviate from preplanned routes, Hivemind can dynamically reroute mission plans, respond to unexpected conditions, avoid obstacles, and execute complex tasks safely and effectively. 

About Shield AI 

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube. 

Media Contact: Lily Hinz; [email protected]