Shield AI

@rtsengusa joined @TBPN last week to talk about building Shield AI in the early days, before defense tech gained broader attention, and where things stand today with our latest raise and the Aechelon acquisition. At Shield AI, we’re building systems that perform in the real world. Bringing Aechelon into the fold accelerates how we test, refine, and deploy autonomy with confidence. Watch the full interview: youtube.com/watch?v=NwRxqb… Autonomy for the world. The greatest victory requires no war.

V-BAT goes operational with the @kon_marine. Following testing in the Norwegian Sea, V-BAT maintained performance in high winds and freezing conditions without modification and is moving toward ship-based deployment. “With operations ranging from the high Arctic to the Caribbean, the Royal Netherlands Navy have mission requirements that demand the best systems to support their operations. V-BAT has shown in recent testing and operations that it can be used in these environments unmodified, while also dealing with complex challenges around GNSS denial and degraded communications links.” - @brandontseng2, Shield AI’s President and Co-founder Read the full press release: shield.ai/royal-netherla… Photos from the Royal Netherlands Navy. Autonomy for the world. The greatest victory requires no war.

"What we're seeing is strong demand from militaries to be able to use advanced technology like AI to really transform what's happening in the battlefield." @shieldaitech CEO @garylsteele on the role of drones in war and the company's new $12.7B valuation: cnbc.com/video/2026/03/…

Happy Friday. On today's show: - @BillyBoman_AI (AI Artist) - @FarisSbahi (Normal Computing) - @evanloomis (Overmatch) - @anvisha (Moda) - @BenMillerise (Fundrise) - @rtsengusa (Shield AI) See you on the stream.

Shield AI to acquire Aechelon and raise $2B at $12.7B valuation. We’re accelerating the shift in how defense systems get built: increasingly shaped in software, trained in simulation, and improved through use. Aechelon, a Sagewind portfolio company, is one of the most trusted simulation companies in defense. Their technology is used to model real-world environments and test systems before they fly. Bringing that capability together alongside Hivemind connects how autonomy is trained with how it performs in the field, helping customers move faster and field capability with greater confidence.Shield AI to acquire Aechelon Technology Inc. and raise $2B at $12.7B valuation. We’re accelerating the shift in how defense systems get built: increasingly shaped in software, trained in simulation, and improved through use. Aechelon, a Sagewind Capital portfolio company, is one of the most trusted simulation companies in defense. Their technology is used to model real-world environments and test systems before they fly. Bringing that capability together alongside Hivemind connects how autonomy is trained with how it performs in the field, helping customers move faster and field capability with greater confidence. Read more:  shield.ai/shield-ai-to-a… Led by @adventintl and co-led by JPMorganChase’s Strategic Investment Group, with participation from @blackstone, @SnowpointVC, Innovation X Advisors, Riot Ventures, @disruptivetech, Apandion, and others.

In any environment, in any climate, V-BAT persists. V-BAT showcased its ISR capabilities to more than 5,000 @BritishArmy service personnel during Exercises Titan Storm & Pinion Titan late last year. Drawing on lessons from real-world operations in Ukraine, V-BAT continues to evolve to deliver greater survivability, lethality, and mission impact on the battlefield. Autonomy for the world. The greatest victory requires no war.

The future of defense is here 🇺🇸🇵🇱 At the Ambassador’s Residence, @USAmbPoland Tom Rose hosted an event spotlighting @shieldaitech - an American company redefining what’s possible on the battlefield. From AI-powered pilots to autonomous systems across air, sea, and space, Shield AI’s vision of the military shows how innovation can save lives and strengthen security. That's American excellence in action! Przyszłość obronności już tu jest! 🇺🇸🇵🇱 W Rezydencji Ambasadora, @USAmbPoland Tom Rose był gospodarzem wydarzenia poświęconego firmie @shieldaitech – amerykańskiego przedsiębiorstwa, które redefiniuje możliwości na polu walki. Od pilotów wspieranych sztuczną inteligencją po autonomiczne systemy w powietrzu, na morzu i w kosmosie – wizja Shield AI pokazuje, jak innowacje mogą ratować życie i wzmacniać bezpieczeństwo. To American excellence w praktyce!

Swiss Destinus, Shield AI wrap European drone autonomy test campaign breakingdefense.com/2026/03/swiss-…

Expanding autonomy across European platforms. Hivemind completed its first autonomous flight on the @DestinusDefence Hornet UAV in Spain, moving from integration to flight in under 60 days. The test shows how our autonomy can be quickly integrated onto European-built platforms and perform in the real world. “Speed of fielding matters in today’s threat environment. The modular architecture of Hivemind allowed straightforward integration with our flight control and mission systems.” - Tim Moser, Destinus CTO Read more here: shield.ai/shield-ais-hiv… Autonomy for the world. The greatest victory requires no war.

In 2025, HII and @shieldaitech announced their partnership to advance modular, cross-domain mission autonomy. This episode of @MssnCrtclShow explains how AI autonomy has become a logistics dream for the Navy. 🎥Watch Episode 4 on YouTube now: ow.ly/1IE950YxKK1

Earth is our runway. To build the world’s first AI-piloted VTOL fighter jet, you have to get VTOL right. Early inlet testing ensures the thrust and stability needed for X-BAT to launch and land anywhere and everywhere. Autonomy for the world. The greatest victory requires no war.

Woohoo! Excited, thank you for the opportunity!

XBAT is in a different league.

Autonomy moving from lab to flight faster than ever. Hivemind completed the first partner mission autonomy flight within @northropgrumman's Talon IQ ecosystem, integrating onto the Model 437 autonomous test aircraft used in the program’s flight test environment. After just one day of hardware-in-the-loop validation, Hivemind was flight-ready, executing initial combat air patrol and target engagement behaviors while making real-time autonomous decisions. “Autonomy only scales if it can move quickly from lab to flight. Talon IQ provides a strong environment for maturing mission autonomy, and this integration shows how Hivemind can transition onto new aircraft with minimal modification, accelerating the path to operational capability.” - Christian Gutierrez, Vice President of Hivemind Solutions at Shield AI Read the full press release: shield.ai/northrop-grumm… Autonomy for the world. The greatest victory requires no war.

We flew @ShieldAITech’s Hivemind software on Talon IQ — a plug-and-play platform that cuts development time and speeds AI deployment. Learn more: news.northropgrumman.com/autonomous-sys…

Some Amazon packages are bigger than others 😂 XBAT coming together. @shieldaitech

We’re fired up! X-BAT completed its first engine fire, lighting @GE_Aerospace's F110 and taking a major step in the development program. Autonomy for the world. The greatest victory requires no war.