Shield AI logo

Shield AI

Challenger

Defense AI company building autonomous drones and AI pilots. $12.7B valuation after $2B Series G (2026). ~$300M 2025 rev. Founded 2015, San Diego. Private.

Best for: Defense & Autonomous Systems
58
AI Score
Grade C
AI Visibility Score (Beta)
Government, Defense & NonprofitDefense & Autonomous SystemsWebsiteUpdated October 2026

Brand Intelligence Graph

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Defense & Autonomous Systems

Company Overview

About Shield AI

Shield AI is an American aerospace and defense technology company founded in 2015 by former Navy SEAL Brandon Tseng, his brother Ryan Tseng, and Andrew Reiter. Headquartered in San Diego, California, Shield AI develops AI-powered autonomous systems for military and defense applications. Its core products include the Hivemind autonomy software platform, the V-BAT vertical take-off and landing drone, and the X-BAT — the world's first AI-piloted VTOL fighter jet with a 2,000 nautical mile range.

Business Model & Competitive Advantage

Shield AI's business model centers on its Hivemind software platform, which enables aircraft and drones to execute autonomous missions in GPS-denied and communications-degraded environments without remote pilots. Hivemind accounted for approximately 30% of revenue in 2025, with a target of 50% software revenue by 2028. The company competes in the rapidly growing defense autonomy market alongside Anduril, Skydio, and traditional defense primes.

Competitive Landscape 2025–2026

In March 2026, Shield AI raised $2 billion in Series G funding led by Advent and JPMorgan, with Blackstone contributing $500M in preferred shares, valuing the company at $12.7 billion. Revenue reached approximately $300M in 2025, with projections exceeding $540M for 2026 (80%+ growth). Gary Steele was appointed as the new CEO in late 2025, signaling potential IPO readiness.

Founded
2015
Curated content • Fact-checked and verified

Recent Activity

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Shield AI names Kansas and Washington the flight test and production homes of X-BAT

Building and testing the aircraft in the two states is projected to support about 9,800 American jobs by the early 2030s and add roughly $78 billion to the Newton and Seattle economies through 2046. NEWTON, Kan. and DES MOINES, Wash., (September 30, 2026) — Shield AI today named the two sites that will build and […]

DEF 14A
DEF 14A — DEF 14A

Proxy Statement filed 2026-09-30

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Shield AI and Kraken Technology Group demonstrate Hivemind-enabled autonomous maritime teaming

PORTSMOUTH, U.K. (September 28, 2026) – Shield AI, the defense-tech company building the world’s best AI pilots and next-generation aircraft, and Kraken Technology Group Ltd., a world-leading autonomous maritime company, announced today the successful demonstration of autonomous maritime teaming of Kraken’s high-performance, modular K3 SCOUT uncrewed surface vessel (USV) with the Hivemind AI pilot, Shield […]

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A New Tempo for Defense Software

After spending 25 years in defense acquisition, last month marked one year since I joined Shield AI. It feels like an appropriate time to reflect on our work on the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, what that work reveals about the changing role of software in defense, and how government and industry […]

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Dark Drones Are Here. Is Our Air Defense Ready?

On February 28, 2026, a Shahed-type one-way attack drone struck a radome at Naval Support Activity Bahrain, headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet. No fatalities were reported, but the strike demonstrated how a relatively inexpensive UAS can damage high-value military infrastructure. The attack also points to a broader challenge for counter-UAS teams, particularly in Ukraine […]

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Defense Autonomy Needs to Train, like Humans, In Simulation

This blog is part of a series exploring the technologies and principles shaping the future of simulation. A program office asks a fair question about an autonomous aircraft. How will it learn to handle a specific threat, in a specific place, against a specific sensor picture, when its link to the operator drops? Not in […]

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Divided by Tradition, United by Mission: Two Academy Grads on America’s Game

Last month, Shield AI announced X-BAT was named the Official Autonomous Aircraft of America’s Game, pairing the world’s most advanced defense technology with college football’s oldest rivalry. To get in the Army-Navy spirit, we sat down with Shawna Moore (USMA ’18) and Andrew Cornelius (USNA ’09) to hear about their favorite gameday memories, reflections from active duty, and […]

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Shield AI signs X-BAT letter of intent with Poland’s PGZ and WZL-2

KIELCE, Poland (September 9, 2026) — At a signing event yesterday at MSPO, the International Defence Industry Exhibition, Shield AI, Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa S.A. (PGZ) and Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze nr 2 S.A. (WZL-2) signed a letter of intent to partner on the design, production and delivery of X-BAT, and on sustaining it in Poland. X-BAT […]

8-K
8-K — 8-K

Material Event filed 2026-09-08

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The Military Intelligence Shortage Rarely Discussed

Weapons, weapons, weapons. War needs weapons. If you shoot a lot of missiles, you need to build more. If you drop a lot of bombs, you need to build more. Weapons kill the enemy. Kill the enemy and you seize terrain and accomplish your objective. A straightforward concept, easy to understand for any citizen, business […]

blog_post
Simulation Is at the Core of Mission Training, and Aechelon Is at the Heart of Visual Simulation

This blog is part of a series exploring the technologies and principles shaping the future of simulation. Simulation is a broad word. Perhaps too broad. Depending on who you ask, it can mean a desktop trainer, a fixed-base simulator, a full flight simulator, mission rehearsal, or a test environment for future systems. These are all […]

blog_post
Shield AI expands Tracker C-UAS integration with L3Harris VAMPIRE™

SAN DIEGO (September 1, 2026) — Shield AI today announced that L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) has licensed Shield AI’s Tracker Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (Tracker C-UAS) to equip its VAMPIRE™ platform, creating an integrated counter-drone solution. The combined system provides passive, AI-powered drone detection and precision engagement, enabling operators to better detect, track, and defeat unmanned […]

Key Differentiators

Strong Challenger

Shield AI is an established challenger with significant market presence and competitive offerings in Government Tech.

Frequently Asked Questions

Estimated Visibility Trend (Beta)

Simulated 8-week rolling score

58
→ Stable

Based on estimated brand signals. Historical tracking coming soon.

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