Airbus tests unmanned H145 helicopter with Shield AI autonomy software
Airbus has completed a first flight test of an unmanned H145 helicopter using Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy pilot, marking a new step in a U.S. Marine Corps logistics program. The test took place in Grand Prairie, Texas, as part of Airbus U.S. Space & Defense’s work on the Marine Corps Aerial Logistics Connector, or ALC, effort.
During the flight, Hivemind was integrated with Airbus’ Helionix avionics suite to control the aircraft and manage mission functions. The companies said the software executed automatic takeoff and landing and completed additional test points without pilot input. The demonstration supports Airbus’ development of the MQ-72 Lakota Connector, an unmanned derivative of the UH-72 Lakota selected by the Marine Corps in 2024 for ALC prototyping.
The companies said Hivemind was integrated onto the H145 platform in less than two months after their partnership was announced in April. Airbus plans to carry the autonomy pilot into the future MQ-72C design to meet full ALC requirements. L3Harris Technologies is serving as Airbus’ lead systems integrator on the program.
The Marine Corps is pursuing the ALC program through multiple competing teams. In 2024, it also selected a group led by Near Earth Autonomy, joined by Honeywell and Leonardo, which recently tested an AW139 helicopter equipped with autonomy technology. Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky unit is separately working on an optionally piloted UH-60 Black Hawk with Matrix autonomy software to help inform the same effort.
The Airbus flight underscores how quickly autonomy software is moving from demonstration into operational aircraft integration. If follow-on tests succeed, the ALC program could help define a new class of unmanned or optionally piloted rotorcraft for contested logistics missions, where reducing risk to aircrews is becoming a central requirement.