Leonardo selects Shield’s Hivemind to develop Proteus autonomy for naval missions

Leonardo selected Shield AI’s Hivemind software development kit to develop additional mission autonomy for Proteus, its uncrewed naval rotorcraft demonstrator. The agreement enables Leonardo engineers to build, test and modify their own autonomous mission software for anti-submarine warfare, intelligence, surveillance and logistics in contested environments. Proteus first flew in early 2026 with Leonardo’s existing autonomy capability, and its modular bay is designed for approximately one tonne of payload or two standard NATO 463L pallets. The partnership concerns technology development and integration, with Leonardo retaining its mission software rather than announcing an operational aircraft purchase or wider fleet integration.