Autonomous flight of DT25 target drone conducted by Shield AI, Airbus
NewsSeptember 24, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. Shield AI and Airbus Defence and Space conducted an autonomous flight demonstration of the DT25 target drone in Andøya, Norway, through integration of Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy software, the companies announced in a statement.
According to the statement, the demonstration involved the drone autonomously tracking a live adversary aircraft under both permissive and degraded conditions, representing a counter-uncrewed aerial system (UAS) mission profile. Shield AI reported that Hivemind was integrated on the DT25 within three months prior to the event.
Hivemind is designed to enable UAS platforms to operate in GPS- and communications-denied environments by providing autonomy for complex mission execution, the statement reads. The companies added that the demonstration marks a step in Shield AI’s European expansion and supports Airbus’s ongoing work in autonomous capabilities for manned and unmanned assets.
The collaboration between Shield AI and Airbus extends to additional efforts in the U.S. and Europe, including integration of Hivemind onto the Airbus MQ-72C Logistics Connector, an uncrewed variant of the UH-72 Lakota helicopter, the companies say.
