Shield AI, ST Engineering join forces on fine-tuning drone swarms

SINGAPORE — American drone firm Defend AI plans to combine its AI-enabled software program into Singaporean manned-unmanned-teaming purposes, enabling the coordination of drone swarms.

Native agency ST Engineering and Defend AI signed a memorandum of understanding on the Singapore Airshow right here on Feb. 5 to mix the Hivemind autonomy software program on completely different platforms manufactured by the nationwide defense-tech champion.

An ST Engineering spokesperson instructed Protection Information the corporate sees prospects for integrating Hivemind into its manned-unmanned teaming working system, or MUMTOS, marketed on the agency’s web site as a instrument for balancing “human judgment and machine precision.”

The open-architecture system is designed to attach a variety of unmanned platforms, equivalent to micro-drones, unmanned floor vessels, and robotic floor automobiles.

The Singaporean Armed Forces have been experimenting with collective drone operations. Throughout its largest abroad train in Australia just lately, the army deployed the most important variety of drones in its historical past, in response to the Singapore-based information community CNA. Over 100 drones logged 560 flight hours throughout Train Wallaby.

Hivemind permits unmanned techniques to sense and adapt whereas executing missions by producing new navigation options based mostly on targets and environmental situations. In line with Defend AI, it’s designed to proceed working in a GPS- or communications-degraded surroundings with out fixed distant management.

The corporate’s V-BAT drone geared up with Hivemind has been deployed in Ukraine. The AI-intelligence software program offers the platform with a worldwide navigation satellite tv for pc, or GNSS-denied state estimator, that merges sensor knowledge to proceed navigation in jammed areas.

“Thus far, V-BAT has accomplished about 200 flights in Ukraine [including operational and training missions] – in 2025 alone, it recognized greater than 200 Russian targets, and we’re working with Ukrainian firm Iron Stomach to combine Hivemind onto extra autonomous strike platforms,” a Defend AI consultant mentioned.