Land Forces 2026: Shield AI, Innovaero partner to advance loitering munitions

An OWL-B loitering munition on display at Fairbairn, Canberra. Innovaero and Shield AI are collaborating to integrate the Hivemind autonomy software into the OWL family of loitering munitions. (Commonwealth of Australia)

Perth-based unmanned aerial system (UAS) developer Innovaero Technologies has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with US defence technology firm Shield AI to integrate the latter's artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled software into its loitering munition platforms.

Shield AI said on 6 October that under the MoU, signed at the 2026 Land Forces international defence exposition in Perth, the companies will collaborate to integrate its Hivemind software into Innovaero's One Way Loitering (OWL) family of loitering munitions.

Hivemind will enable faster mission planning and enhance the effectiveness of OWL systems, which are designed to identify, track and strike targets, Shield AI added.

The OWL family comprises the OWL-B electric-powered loitering munition, which Innovaero began developing in 2022 in collaboration with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) for medium-range strike missions; the jet-powered OWL-X, which is currently under development; and the OWL-C, a long-range variant that remains in the design phase.

In an interview with Janes in May, Major General Hugh Meggitt, head of the Australian Department of Defence's (DoD's) Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA), said that Innovaero had been awarded an AUD20.8 million (USD14.4 million) contract in September 2025 to advance OWL-B.

Shield AI said Hivemind has been integrated onto OWL-B for upcoming flight tests. The company added that the platform is currently undergoing simulations of co-ordinated multi-agent strike missions in dynamic operational environments, with mission commands issued through the Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK) tactical interface.

Janes