Aerospace giant Airbus has completed its first autonomous helicopter flight test using Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy system.
The H145 helicopter was selected as the test vehicle to refine the tech, keep schedules on track, and minimize costs and technical risks.
Shield AI’s software functioned as the aircraft’s pilot, integrated into Airbus’ Helionix avionics suite to manage the helicopter’s mission systems.
The H145 was able to take off and land on its own, demonstrating Hivemind’s ability to control the aircraft without human input.
“This flight marks an important validation of our approach to mission autonomy,” said Shield AI Chief Executive Officer Gary Steele, adding that the software was engineered to enable “adaptable, intelligent flight across a wide range of aircraft.”
Implications for the Marine Corps
The flight test in Grand Prairie, Texas, was part of the US Marine Corps’ Aerial Logistics Connector (ALC) program, focused on developing and acquiring aircraft for future distributed operations.
According to Shield AI, the Hivemind software will be integrated into other Airbus helicopters to support the ALC project, including the MQ-72C Lakota, an unmanned platform still in development to handle logistics in rugged environments.
“This flight test is a testament to the strength of our ALC team and opens the aperture on new mission possibilities to support the Marine Corps,” said Rob Geckle, Airbus US Space and Defense Chief Executive Officer.
“We are bringing together the best across industry to deliver an aircraft that changes how unmanned operations can support missions across a wide range of logistics,” Geckle added.
The companies said future tests will include integrating Hivemind directly into the MQ-72C to evaluate and expand its autonomous capabilities.
