Shield AI

Shield AI builds autonomous aircraft (the V-BAT, now designated MQ-35) and 'Hivemind,' an AI pilot that flies reconnaissance and strike missions without GPS or a human operator; in 2025 it unveiled X-BAT, an AI-piloted VTOL fighter jet. Valued at about $12.7 billion in a March 2026 round, it markets self-flying intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to the US, Ukraine, Taiwan, and allied militaries.