> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.battlepolicy.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Shield AI - URL: https://www.battlepolicy.com/shield-ai/ - Published: 2026-06-17T20:28:37.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-05T01:40:33.000Z - Description: Shield AI develops Hivemind AI-pilot autonomy software and manufactures the V-BAT VTOL UAS for military and border-security customers worldwide. - Author: Marcus Schuler - Tags: #dossier FILE · shield-aiOpen-source file · BattlePolicy ProStatus PrivateVerified Shield AI Autonomy & RoboticsUSPrivate Shield AI develops Hivemind AI-pilot autonomy software and manufactures the V-BAT VTOL UAS for military and border-security customers worldwide. Founded 2015 HQ San Diego, CA Headcount Undisclosed Total raised $1.5B+Series G equity; cumulative undisclosed Valuation $12.7BMarch 2026 Stage Series GPrivate ### Background Shield AI was founded in 2015 in San Diego by brothers Brandon Tseng and Ryan Tseng and Andrew Reiter. Brandon Tseng serves as co-founder and chief executive. The company grew from an initial focus on building AI pilots for GPS- and communications-denied environments into a dual-track defense technology firm. The core product is Hivemind, an AI autonomy stack comprising EdgeOS, Pilot, Commander, and Forge modules. Hivemind has been integrated onto Kratos' XQ-58 Valkyrie autonomous jet and is central to the U.S. Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program work. The V-BAT is a ship-launchable, vertical-takeoff tube-launched UAS available in Block A/128 and newer block variants; the company also offers the X-BAT and Sentient Vision Systems wide-area motion imaging software. Shield AI sells directly to military customers and allied defense ministries, maintains a Kyiv office for Ukraine support operations, and has nine facilities worldwide. Tata Advanced Systems is constructing a Hyderabad plant for domestic Indian V-BAT manufacturing under a 2026 partnership agreement. ### Linked records Wired to the rest of BattlePolicy — the systems it builds in the Lexicon and the contracts it wins in the Procurement Tracker. Every link below is a record in our own datasets. ⌖ Lexicon — systems - [Shield AI software for Fury autonomous jet](https://www.battlepolicy.com/record-defense-tech-funding-is-a-bet-on-ukraines-cheap-drone-lesson/)profile - [V-BAT (MQ-35) naval UAS](https://www.battlepolicy.com/polands-navy-buys-shield-ais-v-bat-the-drone-that-held-up-under-jamming-in-ukraine/)profile - [V-BAT drone fleet (Aegean)](https://www.battlepolicy.com/greece-expands-its-shield-ai-v-bat-drone-fleet-to-watch-the-aegean/)profile ⌖ Procurement — contracts - [US Air Force — Shield AI software for Fury autonomous jet](https://www.battlepolicy.com/record-defense-tech-funding-is-a-bet-on-ukraines-cheap-drone-lesson/)signed - [Poland — V-BAT (MQ-35) naval UAS](https://www.battlepolicy.com/polands-navy-buys-shield-ais-v-bat-the-drone-that-held-up-under-jamming-in-ukraine/)signed - [Greece — V-BAT drone fleet (Aegean)](https://www.battlepolicy.com/greece-expands-its-shield-ai-v-bat-drone-fleet-to-watch-the-aegean/)signed ⌖ Analysis — coverage - [Anduril's Fury Fired Its First Live AMRAAM. The Software That Ran the Shot Is the Real Contest.](https://www.battlepolicy.com/andurils-fury-fired-its-first-live-amraam-the-software-that-ran-the-shot-is-the-real-contest/)analysis - [Record Defense-Tech Funding Is a Bet on Ukraine's Cheap-Drone Lesson](https://www.battlepolicy.com/record-defense-tech-funding-is-a-bet-on-ukraines-cheap-drone-lesson/)analysis ### Financial footing - $1.5B Series G (Mar 2026) at $12.7B val (led Advent + J.P. Morgan) - Acquired Aechelon - USAF CCA Hivemind win - \>$540M rev proj - 2026 - Taiwan NCSIST 2026 contract - **Backers:** Advent International, J.P. Morgan, L3Harris Shield AI raised a \*\*$1.5 billion Series G at a $12.7 billion post-money valuation\*\*, announced \*\*26 March 2026\*\*, alongside \*\*$500 million of fixed-return preferred equity\*\* — a $2 billion package, though only the $1.5 billion is priced equity and the distinction matters when comparing headline valuations across this directory. That mark is up roughly \*\*140% in twelve months\*\* from the $5.3 billion valuation attached to a $240 million round in March 2025, and about 370% above the 2023 round. Total capital raised is above \*\*$2.5 billion\*\*. No revenue figures are disclosed. Shield AI remains private, and the $12.7 billion is a historical post-money mark from a closed financing rather than a live market value — a caveat worth repeating given how often these numbers are quoted as though they were. ### Major customers & contracts Joined live from the [Procurement & Contracts Tracker](https://www.battlepolicy.com/procurement/) — real award/announcement records. | Customer | System | Scale / detail | Status | | ------------ | ------------------------------------------ | ----------------- | ------ | | US Air Force | Shield AI software for Fury autonomous jet | — | signed | | Poland | V-BAT (MQ-35) naval UAS | about $16 million | signed | | Greece | V-BAT drone fleet (Aegean) | — | signed | Further disclosed customers & programs (public reporting): The decisive 2026 development is that the \*\*U.S. Air Force bought the software on its own\*\*. In June 2026 \*\*Hivemind\*\* moved from a development programme into a \*\*funded Collaborative Combat Aircraft production award\*\* covering mission autonomy with \*\*no airframe attached\*\* — the Air Force treating autonomy as a procurement category in its own right. Hivemind flies on \*\*Anduril's YFQ-44A Fury\*\* within that programme, which puts Shield AI inside a competitor's aircraft. On hardware, the \*\*U.S. Coast Guard\*\* awarded $198 million in July 2024 for maritime unmanned aircraft services, among the largest contractor-owned, contractor-operated maritime ISR deployments. \*\*V-BAT\*\* has been procured by allied militaries including the \*\*Netherlands\*\*. \*\*X-BAT\*\*, the vertical-takeoff jet unveiled in 2025, has been associated with a $50 million Navy-linked RIMES investment, though public reporting does not establish that whole sum as a Shield AI contract. No backlog figure is disclosed. ### Leadership & contact surface **Leadership:** Gary Steele **Official site:** [https://shield.ai](https://shield.ai/?ref=battlepolicy.com) **Contact policy.** BattlePolicy maps roles and official, published channels only — who owns a decision and the front door — never individuals’ personal phone numbers, private emails or home details. This keeps the file GDPR-clean and welcome to the companies we profile. ### Competitive position Against Anduril, which competes directly on AI autonomy software and autonomous aircraft, Shield AI's edge is Hivemind's proven degraded-GPS/degraded-comms flight record and its integration onto the USAF CCA program; its weakness is Anduril's broader hardware portfolio and faster scaling headcount. Against Kratos, whose XQ-58 Valkyrie is actually a Hivemind integration partner, Shield AI benefits from the collaboration but faces Kratos's deep low-cost attritable jet manufacturing capability that Shield AI does not replicate at scale. Against AeroVironment and Teledyne FLIR in the VTOL ISR-UAS market, V-BAT's ship-launch and denied-environment capability differentiates it, though AeroVironment's larger installed base and SUAS dominance create distribution advantages. Against Lockheed Martin Skunk Works on CCA-class autonomy, Shield AI moves faster on software iteration but lacks Lockheed's prime contractor relationships and system integration depth. The autonomy-software market remains fragmented; Hivemind's multi-platform portability is Shield AI's principal structural moat. ### Battlefield relevance Shield AI's combat record is real but thinner than its valuation implies, and the company is careful about what it claims. \*\*V-BAT\*\* has been operationally deployed by U.S. forces and allied militaries and used for maritime ISR under the Coast Guard contract. It has been reported in Ukrainian service, though current sourcing does not provide primary confirmation of delivery quantities or engagement outcomes, and we do not assert them here. \*\*Hivemind\*\* has flown autonomous missions on F-16 testbeds under the Air Force's VENOM and related programmes and now pilots a reported 26 classes of aircraft, drones and ground vehicles — but autonomy software's combat record is inherently harder to evidence than a munition's, because success looks like an ordinary sortie. \*\*X-BAT\*\* has no combat record; it is a development aircraft. The pattern across this showcase repeats here: American defence-tech valuations rest on programme capture, European ones increasingly on Ukrainian hit rates. ### Sources & verification - [Record Defense-Tech Funding: A Bet on Ukraine's Cheap Drone Lesson](https://www.battlepolicy.com/record-defense-tech-funding-is-a-bet-on-ukraines-cheap-drone-lesson/) - [https://shield.ai/hivemind/](https://shield.ai/hivemind/?ref=battlepolicy.com) - [https://militaryembedded.com/unmanned/isr/v-bat-drones-and-hivemind-software-to-be-supplied-to-indian-army-by-shield-ai](https://militaryembedded.com/unmanned/isr/v-bat-drones-and-hivemind-software-to-be-supplied-to-indian-army-by-shield-ai?ref=battlepolicy.com) - [https://shield.ai/shield-ai-unveils-v-bat-block-upgrade-powered-by-hivemind-advanced-autonomy-satcom-and-heavy-fuel-engine-among-new-features/](https://shield.ai/shield-ai-unveils-v-bat-block-upgrade-powered-by-hivemind-advanced-autonomy-satcom-and-heavy-fuel-engine-among-new-features/?ref=battlepolicy.com) - [https://www.aviationtoday.com/2023/11/02/shield-ai-raises-another-200-million-in-funding-to-scale-v-bat-autonomous-piloting-software/](https://www.aviationtoday.com/2023/11/02/shield-ai-raises-another-200-million-in-funding-to-scale-v-bat-autonomous-piloting-software/?ref=battlepolicy.com) - [https://militaryembedded.com/unmanned/isr/shield-ai-showcases-vbat-tactical-uas-and-hivemind-ai-at-sof-week-2025-video](https://militaryembedded.com/unmanned/isr/shield-ai-showcases-vbat-tactical-uas-and-hivemind-ai-at-sof-week-2025-video?ref=battlepolicy.com) - [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shield\_AI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shield%5FAI?ref=battlepolicy.com) - [https://insideunmannedsystems.com/hivemind-and-v-bat-shield-ais-autonomy-isr-and-teaming-move-forward/](https://insideunmannedsystems.com/hivemind-and-v-bat-shield-ais-autonomy-isr-and-teaming-move-forward/?ref=battlepolicy.com) - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2peSfBgGJM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2peSfBgGJM&ref=battlepolicy.com) - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tmPWbHw0FM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tmPWbHw0FM&ref=battlepolicy.com) - [https://shield.ai/shield-ais-v-bat-selected-for-dods-apfit-pilot-program/](https://shield.ai/shield-ais-v-bat-selected-for-dods-apfit-pilot-program/?ref=battlepolicy.com) - [https://migflug.com/jetflights/hivemind-goes-lethal-shield-ais-swarm-brain-wired-into-pentagons-attack-drones/](https://migflug.com/jetflights/hivemind-goes-lethal-shield-ais-swarm-brain-wired-into-pentagons-attack-drones/?ref=battlepolicy.com) - [https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shield-ai-marks-conclusion-of-v-bat-missions-in-europe-supporting-border-and-emergency-operations-302522904.html](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shield-ai-marks-conclusion-of-v-bat-missions-in-europe-supporting-border-and-emergency-operations-302522904.html?ref=battlepolicy.com) - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPh4IjzMHTY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPh4IjzMHTY&ref=battlepolicy.com) - [https://shield.ai/shield-ai-selected-to-provide-v-bat-unmanned-aircraft-systems-and-hivemind-autonomy-software-to-the-indian-army/](https://shield.ai/shield-ai-selected-to-provide-v-bat-unmanned-aircraft-systems-and-hivemind-autonomy-software-to-the-indian-army/?ref=battlepolicy.com) - [https://builtin.com/articles/shield-ais-new-ai-product-unmanned-aircraft-flight](https://builtin.com/articles/shield-ais-new-ai-product-unmanned-aircraft-flight?ref=battlepolicy.com) ### Analyst verdict Pro ⌖ Analyst note · BattlePolicy assessment — judgment, not reporting The June 2026 Hivemind award is more consequential than the Series G. An Air Force production contract for \*\*autonomy software with no aircraft attached\*\* establishes mission autonomy as a separable procurement line — and if that holds, Shield AI's addressable market stops being drones it builds and becomes every uncrewed platform anyone builds. Hivemind flying on Anduril's Fury is the proof of concept and the strategic tension in one fact. That is also the risk. A software layer inside a competitor's airframe is valuable until the competitor writes its own — and Anduril, with Lattice and $61 billion of capital, has every incentive to. Shield AI's defensibility rests on Hivemind being genuinely hard to replicate across 26 platform classes, which is plausible but unproven against a well-funded incumbent. The valuation deserves the same scrutiny we applied to Anduril: $12.7 billion with no disclosed revenue, in a year when the priced equity was $1.5 billion of a $2 billion package. Three things to watch: whether further CCA autonomy awards go to Shield AI or are split; whether X-BAT wins a programme of record rather than promotional visibility; and whether any prime — Anduril included — moves to acquire rather than compete, which at this valuation becomes a structurally plausible conversation.