Shield AI

Founded in 2015, Shield AI has grown into one of the most capitalised defence autonomy companies in the world. Its March 2026 Series G raised $1.5 billion at a $12.7 billion valuation, a 140% increase from its prior $5.6 billion mark. Advent International and a JPMorgan Chase security initiative co-led the equity round; Blackstone contributed a concurrent $500 million in non-dilutive preferred equity. Total fresh capital: $2 billion, the largest single raise in defence autonomy software to date. The company projects $540 million or more in 2026 revenue, representing over 80% growth year-on-year.

Shield AI's core product is Hivemind, an autonomy stack that allows aircraft to operate without GPS, communications links, or human pilots. In February 2026 the US Air Force selected Hivemind for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft prototype programme. A two-month campaign with Swiss firm Destinus validated Hivemind on the Hornet combat drone in Segovia, Spain, demonstrating real-time autonomous route adaptation. Critically, Hivemind has also flown on Anduril's YFQ-44A Fury in a confirmed mid-air software switch, meaning two direct CCA competitors are simultaneously proving interoperability.

The company is acquiring Aechelon Technology, a flight simulation firm, to accelerate Hivemind training environments at scale. Its X-BAT combat drone is targeting first flight by end-2026; its V-BAT is already deployed in Ukraine. The Aechelon acquisition signals a bet that synthetic training data, not live flight hours, will determine autonomy leadership.