Autonomy software flight test completed on YFQ-44A aircraft by Shield AI
NewsFebruary 26, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. Shield AI’s Hivemind mission autonomy software completed its first flight test aboard Anduril’s YFQ-44A aircraft during a flight over the Mojave Desert, the company announced in a statement.
Shield AI says the test was intended to demonstrate integration of the autonomy software with the aircraft and included completion of test points tied to mission autonomy functions. Those functions included handling mid-mission updates and demonstrating initial operational behaviors, according to the statement. The company says the results will be used to support expanded testing of autonomy behaviors for the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program.
Shield AI notes that the U.S. Air Force recently selected the company as a mission autonomy provider for the CCA program to support Technology Maturity and Risk Reduction efforts following a competitive evaluation, the statement reads. The company describes Hivemind as platform-agnostic software aligned with the Autonomy Government Reference Architecture (A-GRA) and intended to enable uncrewed systems to sense, decide, and act without a human pilot. Shield AI adds that the software is designed to support re-routing around dynamic obstacles and coordinating tactics with other systems and crewed aircraft, the company says
