Mission autonomy is the focus of an expanded partnership announced by Shield AI with Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF). The organizations said they will co-develop and proliferate artificial intelligence across a wider range of autonomous drone applications using Shield AI’s Hivemind software development kit (SDK), building on earlier explorations and initial use cases.
According to the announcement, the expanded effort is aimed at developing and embedding autonomous capabilities across multiple drone applications by using the SDK to tailor AI solutions for both current operational environments and future needs. The collaboration has enabled RSAF and DSTA to use Shield AI’s SDK to independently design, test, and deploy mission autonomy as part of RSAF concepts of operations.
Mission Autonomy Development Expands Across Drone Applications
The organizations stated that within six months, operational and developer feedback from RSAF and DSTA led to refinements to the SDK, strengthening developers’ capability to develop and deploy mission autonomy for RSAF requirements. The mission autonomy described in the release is intended to support completing missions safely and effectively without human intervention, including the ability to reroute around no-fly zones, avoid threats, and respond to unexpected conditions.
The announcement also described the partnership as enabling a more sovereign approach to autonomy development. Shield AI said Singapore’s teams are using the platform to build the ability to develop and field their own AI pilots across platforms, with the goal of supporting broader adoption of autonomous capabilities across unmanned systems.
“RSAF and DSTA have been outstanding partners. Through their adoption of the Hivemind platform, Singapore is on a path to become the first country outside the United States with true sovereign autonomy, meaning the ability to develop and field its own AI pilots across its platforms. This matters because autonomy is a way to decouple military fighting strength from population size, and in Singapore’s case, from a declining population, a challenge many nations around the world also face.” Brandon Tseng, President and Co-founder of Shield AI
The release stated that DSTA views independent mission autonomy development as a priority and an important step forward. It described the collaboration as extending beyond technology adoption by giving defence engineers and aircrew hands-on experience intended to grow a sustainable pipeline of AI specialists with operational understanding, while leveraging market solutions to integrate autonomy across a broader spectrum of RSAF applications.
Singapore Airshow Announcement Highlights Autonomy and Teaming
The partnership expansion was announced during the Singapore Airshow 2026. Shield AI stated that Brandon Tseng participated in a panel focused on autonomy and human-machine teaming. The company also said Tom Schaefer, vice president of Hivemind engineering at Shield AI, spoke the same day at the Singapore Aerospace Technology and Engineering Conference, held alongside the airshow, on software-driven autonomy for next-generation defense systems.
Shield AI described Hivemind as a software development kit used to tailor AI solutions for operational environments, and the expanded collaboration as a step toward progressively fielding autonomy capabilities across unmanned systems. The announcement framed the work as a practical effort to expand autonomy development, testing, and deployment across a broader set of autonomous drone applications. The expanded partnership is part of Shield AI’s broader effort to deliver autonomy software and unmanned aircraft systems.
The organizations said the work will continue to build on early use cases while expanding autonomy development to additional applications. The announcement emphasized that the partnership is focused on progressively fielding autonomy capabilities by enabling Singapore teams to independently design, test, and deploy mission autonomy using the Hivemind SDK.
