Shield AI Selected for USAF Program
Shield AI has been selected as a mission autonomy provider for the U.S. Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) Program. The company's Hivemind autonomy software is set to be integrated into Anduril's Fury (YFQ-44A) aircraft. This development places AI-driven decision-making at the forefront of future combat aviation platforms.
- The Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program aims to procure at least 1,000 unmanned, autonomous aircraft to fly alongside and support manned fighters like the F-35 and the next-generation F-47. These drones are intended to perform missions such as electronic warfare, strike, and surveillance, acting as a force multiplier. - Anduril's YFQ-44A Fury is one of two designs competing under the first increment of the CCA program; the other is General Atomics' YFQ-42A, which uses mission software from Collins Aerospace. The Air Force is expected to make a competitive production decision in Fiscal Year 2026 and plans to field an operational capability by the end of the decade. - The YFQ-44A Fury made its first semi-autonomous flight in October 2025, a rapid development from a clean-sheet design to flight testing in just 556 days. Flight demonstrations of the Fury with Shield AI's Hivemind software integrated are expected in the coming months. - Shield AI's Hivemind is an AI pilot that enables autonomous maneuvering and decision-making without direct human control. Its capabilities have been demonstrated on other military aircraft, including autonomously flying an F-16 in dogfights and operating on the MQ-20 Avenger drone. - The Air Force is utilizing a government-owned Autonomy Government Reference Architecture (A-GRA) for the CCA program. This standardized architecture is designed to prevent vendor lock and allow for a competitive ecosystem where the best software can be rapidly deployed on any compliant aircraft. - Anduril acquired Blue Force Technologies in 2023 to use their Fury design as a basis for its CCA offering. The company is building a new 5 million square foot factory in Columbus, Ohio, where it plans to begin production of prototype CCA aircraft in the first half of 2026. - The CCA initiative is a core component of the Air Force's broader Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program, which encompasses a family of systems including new manned fighters, sensors, and weapons. - For Fiscal Year 2026, the Air Force has requested $126.4 million in discretionary funding for the CCA program, which includes $111.4 million for research and development and $15 million for procurement. This is in addition to $678 million in mandatory funding provided for CCA development in the FY2025 reconciliation act.
