BAE Systems partners with Scale AI for agentic AI defence offering

A pair of German CH-53 heavy-lift helicopters simulated in OneArc's VBS4 virtual desktop training environment (BAE Systems)

BAE Systems and Scale AI have signed a “strategic relationship agreement to accelerate the development and fielding of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities” to support Department of Defense (DoD) mission environments and operational platforms, BAE Systems announced on 26 March.

The partnership brings together BAE Systems's “mission knowledge in defence operations, systems integration, and platforms, with Scale's ... suite of agentic AI capabilities including the Scale Data Engine and Generative AI Platform” to integrate Scale's capabilities with combat vehicles, deterrence programmes, and future platforms, the statement said.

Integrating agentic AI “directly into operational platforms and mission systems” is intended to enable “faster, better informed decisions and more resilient operations in contested environments”, the statement said.

The agreement “includes co-development, go-to-market, [and] knowledge-sharing”, Peder Jungck, chief innovation and strategy officer for the Intelligence & Security sector at BAE Systems, told Janes on 2 April.

Under the agreement, Scale AI will be able to come into some of BAE Systems's contracts and vice versa, he added.

Strategic relationship

BAE Systems and Scale AI have been working together for around a year, including some co-bids, Jungck said.

Scale AI wanted to meet growing demand for AI within the federal space but needed a way to obtain mission insight and understand deployment, he said.

BAE Systems has been looking for an AI partner that doesn't tie it to a single company or product, Jungck said, noting that BAE Systems has its own AI capabilities.