Leonardo will use Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy software to develop autonomous mission capabilities for its Proteus unmanned helicopter demonstrator, with potential applications in anti-submarine warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and logistics operations in contested environments. The agreement includes integrating Hivemind’s Software Development Kit into Leonardo’s autonomy development process, allowing engineers to create and adapt mission functions for rotary-wing aircraft. The company is also considering extending the technology to other helicopter programmes. Proteus is a vertical takeoff and landing uncrewed aircraft developed with the Royal Navy and UK Defence Innovation under the Rotary Wing Uncrewed Air System technology demonstrator programme. Shield AI has been expanding Hivemind integration across different unmanned platforms. In October, it partnered with Australia’s Innovaero Technologies to integrate the software into the OWL family of loitering munitions, enabling coordinated operations involving multiple aircraft even in environments affected by GPS disruption or degraded communications. Shield AI also signed an agreement with Rheinmetall Barzan Advanced Technologies to explore integrating Hivemind into Qatari-designed unmanned surface vessels for maritime surveillance missions. Other demonstrations include an August trial in Taiwan with Thunder Tiger involving coordinated unmanned surface vessels and March testing with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan, where two autonomous drones demonstrated target tracking. The latest Leonardo partnership represents another step in expanding Hivemind’s applications across aerial and maritime systems, supporting the development of autonomous platforms capable of performing complex missions with reduced human intervention.
