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Leonardo Integrates Shield AI’s Hivemind into Royal Navy Proteus

October 29, 2026

2 min read

Key Takeaways

Leonardo will use Shield AI's Hivemind for Proteus helicopter autonomy.
Hivemind will support anti-submarine warfare, ISR, and logistics flights.
Leonardo engineers will adapt Hivemind for rotary-wing operations.
Partnership could extend to other Leonardo rotary-wing programs.

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Strategic Implications

This partnership may indicate a growing trend towards autonomous capabilities in military aviation, with Leonardo and Shield AI potentially leading the way in rotary-wing operations. The use of Hivemind could suggest a shift towards more modular and adaptable autonomy solutions, which may benefit the development of future uncrewed systems.

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What Happened

Italian Defense Group Expands Autonomous Capabilities for Uncrewed Helicopter

Italian defense group Leonardo has partnered with Shield AI to integrate the Hivemind software into the Royal Navy’s Proteus uncrewed helicopter demonstrator. The collaboration aims to develop additional autonomous capabilities for the aircraft, including anti-submarine warfare, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, and logistics flights in contested environments. Proteus, which made its maiden flight in January 2026, supports the Royal Navy’s Maritime Aviation Transformation strategy. The partnership was announced by AeroTime.

Source | Originally Published: October 29, 2026

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