AI Pilots for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | ARMD Powered by Hivemind

Shield AI successfully completed autonomous flight tests outside Tokyo, Japan in collaboration with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), integrating Hivemind autonomy software onto MHI’s Affordable Rapid‑Prototyping Mitsubishi‑Drone initiative (ARMD) in under 60 days. The demonstration underscores how advanced autonomy can be rapidly developed, integrated, tested, and flown in support of defense-focused autonomous air operations.

The flight test, conducted in Ota City, Gunma Prefecture, culminated in two live flight demonstrations, during which two different test aircraft autonomously demonstrated reinforcement learning, trained behaviors, and coordinated motions while tracking a virtual air vehicle. During the first flight, Hivemind used reinforcement learning to autonomously direct the first ARMD in pursuing a virtual object. Hivemind executed more aggressive behaviors to pursue the virtual object during the second flight test, exhibiting advanced reinforcement learning motions on the second ARMD.