Honeywell Aerospace, global industry experts in aerospace and defense technologies, and Shield AI, global industry experts in AI-powered mission autonomy, have announced a Memorandum of Understanding to advance trusted autonomous aircraft development for commercial and defense applications. Under the MOU, Honeywell Aerospace will develop a trusted autonomy software stack using Shield AI’s Hivemind Software Development Kit. The planned software stack will integrate Honeywell Aerospace’s Anthem avionics, navigation and sensing technologies to support AI-piloted aircraft operations.
The collaboration is designed to help defense operators transition autonomous aircraft from demonstration programs into operational deployment across a broader range of mission environments. By creating a common, trusted architecture, the companies aim to reduce the need to reestablish confidence in the autonomy system each time it is applied to a different aircraft or operational requirement.
Honeywell Aerospace and Shield AI will combine certified avionics, navigation and sensing technologies with Hivemind mission autonomy software to advance trusted AI-piloted aircraft.
Honeywell Aerospace and Shield AI will also explore the architecture required to introduce trusted AI-piloted autonomy into commercial aviation and other transportation applications. Shield AI will evaluate Honeywell Aerospace’s high-integrity, safety-critical products for potential use on its own uncrewed aircraft platforms. A central focus of the collaboration is addressing the certification, design assurance and operational trust required for aircraft to fly without direct human control. Defense customers, commercial operators and aviation regulators each require confidence that the underlying avionics, navigation, sensing and autonomy systems can operate safely and reliably before autonomous aircraft can be deployed at scale.
Shield AI’s Hivemind platform provides software for developing, testing and deploying AI pilots. The platform is designed to support autonomous mission execution and coordinated multi-aircraft operations, including missions conducted in GPS-denied and communications-degraded environments. Honeywell Aerospace will bring its experience in certified avionics, navigation, sensing and other safety-critical aircraft systems to the collaboration. Its Anthem integrated flight deck is designed as a cloud-connected avionics platform that can support different aircraft types and operational requirements.
“Autonomy software can fly an aircraft — but trust has to be engineered into the architecture, not bolted on after,” said Matt Milas, president, Defense & Space, Honeywell Aerospace. “Our role is to build the certified, design-assured foundation that lets a warfighter, a regulator and a fleet operator all trust the same platform. That’s the layer we bring to this collaboration — the one that turns intelligence like Hivemind into something that can be deployed safely and at scale anywhere in the world.”
“Honeywell Aerospace’s certified avionics, navigation, and sensing systems paired with Hivemind, which delivers mission autonomy for intelligent, collaborative operations, create a trusted foundation for AI-piloted flight,” said Gary Steele, CEO, Shield AI. “This collaboration reflects how the aerospace and defense ecosystem is evolving — bringing the best of autonomy and certified hardware to address transportation and national security challenges.”
The companies will evaluate opportunities to jointly pursue defense Unmanned Aerial System programs worldwide. They will also explore how Honeywell Aerospace’s certified systems could extend the use of Hivemind in the United States and international markets, including allied nations seeking domestic autonomy capabilities.
About Honeywell Aerospace
Honeywell Aerospace is an independent global aerospace and defense company whose technologies support commercial air transport, business aviation, defense and space platforms. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, the company employs more than 36,000 people and supports more than 10,000 customers worldwide. Its portfolio includes avionics and navigation systems, aircraft engines and power systems, sensing technologies and aircraft control systems. For more information, please click here.
About Shield AI
Founded in 2015, Shield AI develops AI-powered autonomy technologies for defense and aerospace applications. Its portfolio includes Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. The company maintains offices and facilities across the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. To learn more, please click here.
Source/Photo Credit: Shield AI
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Molly Bakewell Chamberlin is the Founder, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Components Source Network, a 100% woman- and disability-owned B2B publishing and expert marketplace platform serving the global high-tech manufacturing and engineering community. She is the architect, author and developer of the Network’s 11 specialized e-news sites and 11 peer-vetted expert e-marketplaces, including Aerospace Technology Monthly. With more than 25 years of experience in strategic technical marketing, public relations and business development, she is also the Founder and President of Embassy Global, LLC, which has supported more than 200 high-tech industry brands worldwide since 2008. Molly also serves pro bono as Second Vice Chair of the Government Team for the WBENC Forum and is a long-standing advocate for small business, supplier diversity, sustainability and women in STEM. Connect with Molly on LinkedIn.
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