California-based Shield AI, a technology company developing an AI pilot, has achieved a significant milestone in its mission to provide the world with autonomy.
In a press release on August 21, the company said that it successfully demonstrated its first-ever multi-jet autonomy flights on two Kratos MQM-178 Firejets.
The flight tests featured two autonomous agents piloted by Shield AI’s ‘Hivemind’ AI Pilot.
Coordinated maneuvers
These agents teamed up to perform coordinated maneuvers, demonstrating operationally relevant collaborative behaviors.
This demonstration highlighted the capabilities of future unmanned jets and drones, with all computing executed on board and in-air agent communication seamlessly integrated.
“In the next decade, AI pilots will command and maneuver all unmanned systems, enabling the US and our allies to deploy millions of intelligent, resilient drones,” said Brandon Tseng, Shield AI’s President, Co-founder, and a former Navy SEAL.
“These Firejet flight tests represent a key milestone on our journey to bring autonomy to the world. What’s awesome is that the algorithms are not limited to the number of aircraft. For test objectives and budgetary reasons, we limited the number of Firejets to 2, but it could have been 4, 8, 16, 32, and so on.”
This builds on multiple AI -piloted Firejet flight tests completed earlier this year, which marked the sixth aircraft to be flown by Shield AI’s Hivemind AI Pilot.
In June, the team completed its inaugural Live Virtual Constructive (LVC) integration, which bridges live platforms with virtual environments and enables dynamic interactions across domains.
First phase
In March, the company, in collaboration with Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, announced the successful completion of the first phase of Shield’s AI-piloted flight-testing onboard Kratos platforms.
The two companies are moving toward productizing Shield AI’s pilot for the XQ-58 Valkyrie.
Having successfully flown AI pilots on five aircraft — three classes of quadcopters, the MQ-35A V-BAT, and the F-16 in fully autonomous air combat training — Shield AI’s Hivemind AI pilot has now successfully flown on and controlled the Kratos MQM-178 Firejet.
These successful flights are a major milestone in the comprehensive integration project as Shield AI and Kratos look to ultimately productize another configuration of the Valkyrie, in this case, with Shield AI’s Hivemind AI pilot.
The MQM-178 Firejet is a jet-target aircraft system that supports surface-to-air and air-to-air engagements and performs various end-to-end weapons-release training roles.
Additionally, the Tactical Firejet offers an offensive/defensive jet UAS system in the sub $500K price range per aircraft with substantial mission systems and performance capabilities.
In either mission configuration (target/tactical), the Firejet delivers a high-speed, high-maneuverability, low-signature solution for replicating threats or enabling no-risk-to-American-life operational effectiveness with a level of contested environment capability.
“AI pilots will eventually fly all aircraft and will have a larger global impact than self-driving cars. The MQM-178 Firejet marks the sixth type of aircraft that our AI pilot Hivemind has flown. It is the second jet-powered aircraft after our AI piloted F-16 dogfights. The AI-piloted XQ-58 Valkyrie flights later this year will be the seventh aircraft and then the Kratos BQM-177 will be the eighth. Kratos and Shield AI’s joint focus on the rapid development of AI-piloted aircraft has been a terrific collaboration that is helping redefine military force structures,” said Tseng.
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