Leonardo will use Shield AI’s Hivemind software to develop autonomous mission capabilities for its unmanned helicopter demonstrator Proteus, including potential roles in warfare and maritime surveillance.
The work includes integrating Hivemind’s Software Development Kit into Leonardo’s autonomy development process. The software will give Leonardo engineers tools to build and adapt mission capabilities for rotary-wing aircraft.
The planned applications include anti-submarine warfare, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, as well as logistics operations in contested environments. Leonardo also sees potential to extend the technology to other programs in its helicopter portfolio.
Proteus is a vertical takeoff and landing uncrewed aircraft developed by Leonardo with the Royal Navy and UK Defence Innovation under the Rotary Wing Uncrewed Air System technology demonstrator program.
“Autonomy software is never finished [as] it changes with the mission, the threat, and the sensors on the aircraft,” Hivemind engineering vice president Tom Schaefer said. “Leonardo’s engineers can therefore tailor Hivemind software to their mission sets, and the work stays with them.”
Hivemind’s Footprint
Shield AI has tested Hivemind on several aircraft, including platforms developed by other manufacturers.
In October, the US company signed an agreement with Australia’s Innovaero Technologies to integrate its Hivemind autonomy software into the latter’s OWL family of loitering munitions. The system is designed to support coordinated missions involving multiple aircraft, including operations in environments with degraded GPS or communications.
Shield AI also signed an agreement in October with Rheinmetall Barzan Advanced Technologies to explore integrating Hivemind into Qatari-designed unmanned surface vessels for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.
The partnerships follow an August demonstration in Taiwan, where Shield AI and Thunder Tiger used Hivemind to coordinate multiple unmanned surface vessels during a simulated surveillance mission.
Earlier, in March, Shield AI and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries also tested the software on two autonomous drones in Japan, demonstrating target tracking.