:

Unmanned Systems

Shield AI’s AI Pilot Software Selected To Provide Collaborative Autonomy To LUCAS Drones

By Cal Biesecker

Tuesday, May 19th, 2026

SHARE:

Shield AI’s AI Pilot Software Selected To Provide Collaborative Autonomy To LUCAS Drones

LUCAS one-way attack drone. Photo: Shield AI

Shield AI on Tuesday said the Defense Department has picked the company’s Hivemind artificial intelligence software to pilot Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Aircraft System (LUCAS) one-way attack drones and allow them to collaborate. An operational demonstration is planned this fall where a single operator will control a swarm of the AI-enabled LUCAS drones. The value of any contract was not disclosed. A Pentagon official told Defense Daily that "We have taken the initial step to integrate and assess Hivemind on LUCAS."…

Congress

Senior GOP HASC Members Wittman, Turner Ousted Amid Dems’ Blue Wave

Two senior Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee, including a potential frontrunner for the panel’s top GOP role, have officially lost their reelection bids. Reps. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) and […]

Congress

Dems’ Big Night Set To Reshape Top Defense Committee Spots, As Key GOP’ers Knocked Off

Democrats’ sweeping victories in Tuesday’s midterms, taking back control of the House and Senate, are set to reshape key spots atop defense committees, to include House Armed Services panels and […]

Congress

Key Defense Committee Members Face Tight Midterm Races, Including HASC GOP’ers In Virginia

As the mid-term elections near with polls showing an increasing likelihood of a switch in majority control in the House and potentially the Senate, three Virginia Republicans on the House […]

‘Theoretical Potential’ to Achieve 1,509 Combat-Coded Fighters by 2035, USAF Says

In the latest U.S. Air Force fighter force structure report submitted to Congress, the service speaks of a “theoretical potential” to achieve a goal of 1,509 combat-coded fighters in the […]