Military Drones Featuring AI Technology

California-based defense technology firm Shield AI on Monday launched a new drone swarming capability called V-Bat Teams — one it hopes the Defense Department might use for programs such as its Replicator initiative. V-Bat Teams, which grew out of Shield AI’s experiments with the Air Force’s AFWERX innovation unit that culminated in a demonstration this summer, has at its core the company’s artificial intelligence pilot software dubbed Hivemind. These teams consisting of a handful of V-Bat aircraft are intended to operate autonomously in high-threat environments, without needing instructions or guidance from GPS or communications. In an interview Tuesday at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual conference in Washington, Shield AI’s co-founder and president said V-Bat Teams could be a “great fit” with the Pentagon’s Replicator program, which aims to field thousands of autonomous, attritable drones in the next two years to counter China. Tseng said Shield AI conducted the first flight of V-Bat Teams in April and conducted a demonstration as part of the Air Force’s AFWERX autonomy effort in June. That demo, which was announced in August, showed how the Hivemind technology could launch and autonomously control a trio of V-Bats to monitor and surveil simulated wildfires. V-Bat Teams now include four of the UAVs, Tseng said, but the company hopes to double that capacity every year — to eight in 2024, then to 16, and so on. Hivemind’s autonomous software is, on its own, already able to control many more V-Bats, Tseng said. The limiting factor on V-Bat Teams comes in the operational logistics of launching multiple drones at once and then landing, he explained. Sending large swarms of drones into the air isn’t a new trick, Tseng noted, as such demonstrations are commonly done at festivals or other celebratory events. But those are “brittle, dumb drones” that would fall out of the sky or automatically land if they were jammed, he added. Shield AI first focused on creating an intelligent, secure AI pilot in the form of Hivemind, and then the firm worked to add more drones into the mix to carry out different mission sets. V-Bat Teams will first focus on maritime domain awareness missions, Tseng said, but their use could expand to include the suppression of enemy air defenses, strike operations, escort missions and logistics operations. #VBAT #AI #Hivemind Image: Shield AI aims to double the size of its V-Bat drone teaming capabilities each year, from four now to eight next year and beyond. A demonstration this summer with three V-Bats led the company to officially launch the product. (Shield AI)

Pentagon’s $50M AI Drone Surge Thwarts Russia’s UAV Threat in Ukraine Drones that think for themselves? The Pentagon’s $50M deal with Auterion is supercharging Ukraine’s skies with 33,000 AI-powered strike kits by year-end. The Pentagon has partnered with US-German software developer Auterion to deliver 33,000 AI-powered Skynode S modules to Ukraine, enhancing its drone capabilities to counter Russia’s escalating UAV attacks. This $50 million contract, reported by Financial Times, marks a significant escalation in autonomous drone technology support for Ukraine’s defense. Skynode S: Transforming Drones into Autonomous Weapons The Skynode S is a compact onboard computer with passive cooling, designed to convert manually operated drones into fully autonomous systems. Equipped with a camera and radio module, it enables drones to detect, track, and follow moving targets up to 0.62 miles (1 kilometer) away, even in GPS- and communications-denied environments. Auterion CEO Lorenz Meier described the modules as transforming drones into “AI-based weapons systems,” emphasizing their resilience against jamming in contested electromagnetic settings. “These are unprecedented volumes,” Meier told Financial Times. “We’ve already shipped thousands, and now we’re scaling up to tens of thousands.” Deliveries are set to complete by the end of 2025, a tenfold increase over prior shipments. Screenshot Strategic Impact on Ukraine’s Drone Warfare The Skynode S modules are primarily aimed at countering long-range strike drones, such as Iran-supplied Shahed kamikaze UAVs used by Russia. With Russia intensifying attacks—often launching hundreds of drones in a single strike—these modules could significantly bolster Ukraine’s defenses. At a conservative 70–80% effectiveness rate, the 33,000 units could intercept 23,000 to 26,000 enemy drones. At 90% effectiveness, this could exceed 29,000, offering a robust shield against large-scale aerial assaults. The technology also enables swarm coordination, allowing drones to communicate and operate cohesively. This advancement, Meier noted, represents an “evolutionary step” in Ukraine’s drone warfare capabilities, enhancing both defensive and offensive operations. Complementing Ukraine’s Drone Industry Ukraine has emerged as a leader in drone innovation, outpacing NATO in battlefield technology integration, as acknowledged by General Alexus G. Grynkewich at the LANDEURO 2025 conference. Meier emphasized that Auterion’s role is not to compete with Ukraine’s thriving drone industry but to enhance it with software-driven warfare capabilities. “They have a fantastic drone industry. What we want to contribute are things that they do not have already and that are more software-defined warfare-centric,” he said. This collaboration highlights a growing US-Ukraine partnership in drone technology. Meier described Auterion as a “pioneer” in this cooperation, noting that Ukraine’s battle-hardened drone products are increasin...

“HiveMind is operational,” said Brian Marchini, an aerospace engineer for Shield AI, referring to the company’s artificial intelligence program. “We have control,” he told the human pilots sitting in a tower above him, who until that point had been remotely directing the drones." "When he reflected on his time as a Navy SEAL serving in Afghanistan a decade ago, Brandon Tseng wondered why he and his team did not have any way to see inside buildings they were about to raid and reduce the chances of walking into a deadly trap. He brought that question to his brother Ryan, a tech whiz who had invented a type of wireless cellphone charger when he was in college. After Brandon Tseng left the military, he joined with his brother to find ways to apply technology to national security challenges and quickly had what he remembers as his “aha” moment. The rapidly emerging field of artificial intelligence, he believed, could be applied to fast-evolving hardware like drones to transform how they are used in war, like sending a tiny, self-piloted vehicle to do reconnaissance inside a structure that troops were about to enter. Even fighter jets could perhaps be turned into A.I.-controlled robot drones. The company the Tseng brothers created in 2015, named Shield AI, is now valued by venture capital investors at $2.7 billion. The firm has 625 employees in Texas, California, Virginia and Abu Dhabi. And the Tsengs’ work is starting to show real-world results, with one of their early products having been deployed by the Israel Defense Forces in the immediate aftermath of the coordinated attacks last month by Hamas. Shield AI is one of a handful of start-ups demonstrating the potential of cutting-edge technology to revolutionize war-fighting tools and help the United States keep its military advantage over China. The company and others like Anduril Industries, Autonodyne, EpiSci and Merlin Labs are developing new and more powerful ways for the Pentagon to gather and analyze information and act on it, including flying planes without pilots, creating swarms of autonomous surveillance and attack drones, and making targeting decisions faster than humans could. Shield AI’s efforts to convince the Pentagon of the technology’s capabilities were on display one recent morning on the prairies of North Dakota as three of its larger military drones lifted off, buzzed across the sky and then were turned over to Shield AI’s artificial intelligence programming to decide on their own how to carry out the surveillance mission they had been assigned." https://lnkd.in/gdNZrKCi

Ukraine war is hastening development of UAVs and UGVs (including Uncrewed Ground Robot Weapons) working together in various combinations. We have to assume (as in many military/aerospace spin-offs) that there will be a huge increase in commercial enterprise UAV & Drones & UGV robotics working together soon? Thoughts? "According to an MSN article, recent developments in the ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine have highlighted the increasing use of small drones – and the battle between unmanned aerial (UAV) and uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs) in combat operations. In a specific instance near Avdiivka, a strategic location in the Donetsk region under Moscow’s control, Ukraine’s military employed first-person-view (FPV) drones to disable Russian ground combat robots. While FPV drones can carry only smaller explosives, they can be extremely accurate in targeting." "The broader context of this development reflects both nations’ significant investments in drone technology, not only aerial drones but also those operating on ground and water. The conflict has seen the deployment of a wide variety of drones aimed at reducing human exposure to direct combat. These drones undertake perilous tasks, ranging from logistics support to active combat roles – or in the defense against other drones." "Russia’s foray into ground drone technology includes sophisticated models like the AI-enabled “Marker” and the logistics-oriented Zubilo UGV. Concurrently, Ukraine is advancing its UGV capabilities, as evidenced by the deployment of the “Ironclad” unmanned robot, equipped with a machine gun for assault and reconnaissance missions. This initiative is part of Ukraine’s broader strategy to integrate UGVs into frontline operations, enhancing their combat effectiveness while minimizing human casualties." "Experts, including Samuel Bendett from the Center for Naval Analyses, note the trend towards deploying small, lightweight UGVs that can be easily and quickly assembled, and if necessary, replaced. These drones are increasingly visible on the front lines, crafted by military personnel or volunteer organizations, featuring basic designs for swift assembly. Bendett speculates on the evolving nature of UGV use in warfare, suggesting that the sheer number of reconnaissance drones could limit the deployment of larger, more sophisticated UGVs like Russia’s “Marker” in the current conflict." #droneuavtechnology #militarydroneuav #ugv #combatrobotics https://lnkd.in/eVqa9Ywm

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (Congratulations to #GAASI) has released images of a brand new, fully-constructed advanced air combat drone (#UAV) called the XQ-67A. The company built it as part of a contract to support the #USAirForce's secretive Off-Board Sensing Station (#OBSS) program. Though an explicit connection has not been made, there have been indications in the past that this design leverages work the company is doing on #Gambit, https://lnkd.in/gKix-ktG a novel family of advanced drones that involves different airframes that can be mated to a modular common 'core' chassis. Gambit seems conceived to meet the OBSS mission. It is an Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP) designed through digital engineering to speed its time to market and lower acquisition cost, and it will deliver an extended and enhanced sensing capability. The jet-powered platform is being built for air dominance and will heavily leverage advances in #artificialintelligence and #autonomous systems. Working alongside human-piloted aircraft, Gambit will enable pilots to see deeper into hostile airspace, detect threats first, and provide time and space for critical decisions and actions. The pictures of the XQ-67A shown in this story were taken at an undisclosed location. General Atomics, as well as Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, first received a contract under the OBSS program back in October 2021. The Air Force subsequently chose General Atomics alone to proceed to actually build and flight test its design.

Shield AI has raised $200 million in new funding as it looks to scale its autonomous flying systems for the U.S. military and its allies. The startup, which was founded in 2015, is now valued at $2.7 billion. This latest round was co-led by U.S. Innovation Technology Fund (@USIT) and Riot Ventures, both prior investors in Shield AI. Other contributors include existing investors Disruptive and Snowpoint Ventures and new investor ARK Investment Management LLC. The startup makes hardware and software to transform drones and aircraft into autonomous systems capable of executing missions in contested environments. The company’s core product is Hivemind, an AI pilot software that enables drones and aircraft to operate autonomously — without even GPS to assist them. Shield AI has also developed a drone swarming capability it calls V-Bat Teams, which enables a single human operator to command a minimum of four V-Bat drones. (Those drones, which take-off and land vertically, were developed by Martin UAV (a Shield AI Company), which Shield AI acquired in 2021.) https://lnkd.in/gzZKhMWJ

"Battlefield 2.0: Drones and AI Take Command". The integration of drones and artificial intelligence marks a pivotal shift in military strategy and operations. This evolution is akin to transitioning to a new era of warfare—'Battlefield 2.0,' where these advanced technologies play crucial roles. This transformation fundamentally changes how conflicts are managed and fought, introducing a technologically advanced and sophisticated approach. Traditional warfare tactics are being enhanced or replaced by smarter, more efficient, and often autonomous systems, reshaping the strategic landscape and redefining the future of combat. CONTENT OVERVIEW: AI in the Sky: Explore how AI algorithms are integrated into drone technology to enhance capabilities for autonomous navigation, threat detection, and operational decision-making. CASE STUDIES: Detailed examination of recent deployments of AI-driven drones in conflict zones, highlighting their impact on strategic outcomes and battlefield tactics. TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES: A look at the technical challenges facing drone technology, including signal interference, power limitations, and AI ethics. EXPERT COMMENTARY: Insights from Dr. Hans Mumm and Dr. Bob McCreight, providing a scholarly perspective on the evolution of drone technologies and their implications for national and global security. CONCLUSION: This document aims to provide our readers with a thorough understanding of the complexities and advancements in drone technology, empowering professionals across industries to appreciate and leverage these innovations in their fields. Linda Restrepo Editor in Chief THANK YOU: for engaging with our recent video on the transformative impact of AI and drone technology in modern defense systems. Your interest and interactions mean the world to us at Inner Sanctum Vector N360™. Dr. Hans C. Mumm, Dr. Bob McCreight, and I are grateful for your support and enthusiasm. It's your engagement that enriches our community and drives our commitment to delivering cutting-edge content. Thank you: Angelique "Q" Napoleon, Marcello Silvestri, Ivan Savov, FARPI, Rosario Macrì, Tony Liolio MBA, CDCMP, CDCTP, Darkrai W., Lamont Woody, Gustavo Arzola Bello, Frank Sventek, Dr. Igor van Gemert, Jim Kyung-Soo Liew, Ph.D., Joe Reddix, Dr Mohamed Al-Aseeri, Alessandro Cerboni, Andy Jenkinson, Chuck Brooks, Col (Dr.) Inderjeet Singh, George Stringham, Brett J Forsyth, Rajiv Shankar, ACA, Rick Lamberth 👍 , Michael Stephens, MBA, Qasim Arshad 🌀, Patrick Pascal, Frank Feather, Alessandro Argento, Adolfo Tasinato, Rafael Rodriguez-Mercado,MD, FAANS, FACS ❤️ , John Rainford FRSA FTLS, Dr. Ossama S., Paola Bergamo, Jon Rappaport, Giancarlo Elia Valori, William Harrison, Yolanda Stern, Selvi K., Len Swanson #AI #Drones #DefenseTechnology #MilitaryInnovation #InnerSanctumVectorN360 #TechnologyEducation #AIIntegration #FutureTrends #ThankYou #CommunityEngagement

"I AM IN San Diego, California, a main port of the US Pacific Fleet, where defense startups grow like barnacles. Just in front of me, in a tall glass building surrounded by palm trees, is the headquarters of Shield AI. Stewart encouraged me to visit the company, which makes the V-BAT, an aerial drone that Task Force 59 is experimenting with in the Persian Gulf. Although strange in appearance-—shaped like an upside-down T, with wings and a single propeller at the bottom-—it’s an impressive piece of hardware, small and light enough for a two-person team to launch from virtually anywhere. But it’s the software inside the V-BAT, an AI pilot called Hivemind, that I have come to see." https://lnkd.in/gAdCb4A7

The increasing use of lethal UAV's in the Red Sea, the effectiveness of EW in the UAV fights in the skies of Ukraine, and low-key Turkey's mass implementation of lethal autonomy in its border conflicts emphasize that our conservative concept of "man in the loop" autonomy must be cast aside, if it ever REALLY was the standard when viewed historically. Building large systems for remote operation first and backing into autonomy - with all the associated requirements both at the C2 node and onboard the craft - increase costs, increase system weight/size, and coddle operational commanders into imagining they will have a capability or the ability to control in denied environments - or worse, cultivate in leadership at the programmatic level a need to pursue that guaranteed connection despite the operational and monetary cost. Full lethal autonomy, systems that will discern and destroy targets over the horizon without human interaction, must be acceptable if we're to win the next iteration of offense-defense rock-paper-scissors. #RedSea #Ukraine #BlackSea #Houthis #Drones #Autonomy #Navy #MilitaryInnovation #Innovation #autonomous

Combat robots and AI to break stalemates of modern wars General Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, recently offered his thoughts (here: https://t.co/DyvN6nynlf ) on stalemates in modern wars, and technologies that would overcome it. He argued that the modern transparent battlefield (i.e., where neither side can hide its activities from the opponent's UAVs), combined with precision artillery and missiles, lead to inevitable stalemate. Neither side can break through the opponent's defenses, similarly to the WW1 trench warfare. And just like overcoming such a stalemate in WW1 required new technologies, especially tanks, overcoming the stalemate of modern battlefields will require new technologies. His article hints at (although not always articulates) a vision of such technologies heavily reliant on AI and artificial intelligent combatants. In particular: 1. Effective air warfare achieved not by manned aircraft but by unmanned aerial vehicles with intelligent, autonomous capabilities. 2. Breach of the opponent's massive minefields by autonomous demining robots, employed in large quantities. 3. Highly agile, distributed yet integrated counter battery and electronic warfare orchestrated by AI-enabled command and control systems. Guided by AI, artificial intelligent combatants will have a chance to break well-prepared defenses and to create opportunities for rapid, decisive maneuvers. Neither the stalemate nor the need for such emerging technologies are unique to the current war in Ukraine. Rather, they are likely to occur in any modern war between technologically advanced opponents. #ukraine #war #artificialintelligence #robotics #technology #innovation