This article is based on an official press release from Shield AI.

Shield AI Selected as Mission Autonomy Provider for U.S. Air Force CCA Program

The U.S. Air Force has officially selected Shield AI to provide mission autonomy software for its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. This selection marks a significant milestone in the Department of Defense’s effort to field autonomous “loyal wingmen” capable of operating alongside crewed fighters. According to the company’s announcement, Shield AI will support the Technology Maturity and Risk Reduction (TMRR) phase of the program.

The agreement integrates Shield AI’s “Hivemind” AI pilot onto the YFQ-44A “Fury” drone, an autonomous aircraft developed by Anduril Industries. This pairing represents one half of the Air Force’s initial “ecosystem” approach for the CCA program, placing a venture-backed defense technology firm in a direct peer role with established industry giants. Flight demonstrations for the integrated system are expected to take place in the coming months.

Decoupling Software from Hardware

A central pillar of the CCA program is the Air Force’s strategic decision to separate the airframe (the “body”) from the autonomy software (the “brain”). By utilizing the government-owned Autonomy Government Reference Architecture (A-GRA), the service aims to avoid vendor lock-in and ensure modularity across different platforms.

Under the current Increment 1 structure, two primary teams are advancing toward flight testing:

• Team 1: Shield AI (Autonomy) integrated with Anduril Industries’ YFQ-44A “Fury.”
• Team 2: Collins Aerospace (Autonomy) integrated with General Atomics’ YFQ-42A.

According to U.S. Air-Forces officials, this modular approach allows the service to validate that autonomy software from one vendor can function on an airframe built by another. Col. Timothy Helfrich, Senior Materiel Leader for the Advanced Aircraft Division, emphasized the importance of this architecture in recent statements.

“The goal is to ensure we are not locked into a single solution, allowing the best algorithms to be deployed rapidly across the fleet.”

Col. Timothy Helfrich, U.S. Air Force

“Hivemind” and the Future of Air Combat

Shield AI describes its “Hivemind” technology as an AI pilot rather than a traditional autopilot. While standard systems follow pre-programmed waypoints, Hivemind is designed to sense the environment, make dynamic decisions, and execute maneuvers without continuous human input or GPS connectivity.

The software’s capabilities include:

• Dynamic Decision Making: The ability to react to pop-up threats and reroute autonomously.
• GPS-Denied Operation: Navigation and combat functionality in environments where communications are jammed.
• Platform Agnostic Design: The software has previously been tested on platforms such as the F-16 (via DARPA’s ACE program), the V-BAT VTOL drone, and the MQ-20 Avenger.

In the company’s press release, Shield AI CEO Gary Steele highlighted the urgency of the program.

“The Air Force is moving with urgency to explore how autonomy can reshape air combat… We will work relentlessly to deliver and to help advance the next era of airpower.”

Gary Steele, CEO of Shield AI

AirPro News Analysis: The Rise of Defense Tech Startups

The selection of Shield AI and Anduril Industries for a major program of record signals a shift in the defense procurement landscape. Historically, such complex integration contracts were the exclusive domain of “Prime” contractors like Lockheed Martin or Northrop Grumman. By selecting a team composed entirely of “disruptor” companies (Shield AI and Anduril) to compete alongside traditional heavyweights (Collins Aerospace and General Atomics), the Air Force is validating the maturity of Silicon Valley-style defense tech.

This move suggests that the Pentagon is serious about prioritizing speed and software capability over traditional hardware legacy. If Shield AI’s Hivemind proves successful in the upcoming flight tests, it could set a precedent for how future software-defined warfare systems are acquired, moving the industry toward a model where software updates determine lethality rather than new airframes.

Program Timeline and Next Steps

The CCA program is moving rapidly toward critical milestones. With General Atomics and Anduril selected to build the Increment 1 airframes in 2024, the focus has now shifted to system integration and flight testing.

Key upcoming dates include:

• Spring 2026: Expected flight demonstrations of the Anduril YFQ-44A equipped with Shield AI’s autonomy.
• FY 2026: A final production decision for Increment 1 is anticipated later this fiscal year.
• Late 2020s: The Air Force targets the operational fielding of the first batch of Collaborative Combat Aircraft.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program?
The CCA program is a U.S. Air Force initiative to develop high-performance, autonomous unmanned aircraft that fly alongside crewed fighters like the F-35 and the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) platform to increase combat mass.

What is the difference between Shield AI and Anduril in this program?
Anduril Industries is manufacturing the physical aircraft (the YFQ-44A “Fury”), while Shield AI is providing the mission autonomy software (the “brain”) that pilots the aircraft.

What is A-GRA?
The Autonomy Government Reference Architecture (A-GRA) is a government-owned standard that ensures software and hardware from different vendors can work together, preventing vendor lock-in.

Sources

• Shield AI Press Release