This demonstration was conducted from 12^th Aug to 14^th Aug 2025 in Himachal Pradesh using Shield AI’s Nova 2 quadcopter, equipped with Hivemind, Shield AI’s autonomy software. Over three days of hands-on flight training and system presentations to the Indian Special Forces (from both the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force), Hivemind demonstrated fully autonomous as well as AI-assisted, human-piloted operation in GPS- and communication-denied environments.

“Autonomy will be a decisive factor in the future of defence, and India has made it clear that it intends to lead,” said Sarjan Shah, Managing Director – India, Shield AI.

“With Hivemind, Shield AI is delivering proven, mission-ready autonomy that performs in the most demanding operational environments. These demonstrations represent a critical step forward in supporting India’s efforts to rapidly adopt next-generation capabilities that strengthen national security and support indigenous defence innovation,” added Shah.

Hivemind is Shield AI’s autonomy software that empowers unmanned systems to perform complex missions in GPS- and communications-contested environments. Designed for modular integration and multi-platform deployment, Hivemind enables partners and customers to rapidly build, test, and field mission autonomy on a variety of platforms, including V-BAT, Shield AI’s Group 3 unmanned aerial system (UAS).

Nova 2 is a next-generation quadcopter designed to address 3D environments, providing unmatched autonomy for indoor (GNSS-denied) and confined-space operations. Lessons from the integration of Hivemind onto Nova quadcopters have informed the deployment of Hivemind onto larger platforms, such as F-16, MQ-20 Avenger, and V-BAT.

The series serves as a successful demonstration that Hivemind can indeed be integrated and can perform complex mission-autonomous behaviors on a variety of platforms. This achievement reinforces Shield AI’s role in strengthening India’s defence capabilities, while also expanding the company’s ongoing presence in the region. In November 2024, Shield AI announced a strategic partnership with JSW Defence Pvt. Ltd. to indigenize and begin manufacturing V-BATs in India, marking a significant commitment to boosting India’s defence capabilities.

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