Leonardo has selected Shield AI's Hivemind software development kit to expand mission-autonomy capabilities for Proteus, the full-size uncrewed helicopter it is developing with the UK Royal Navy. Announced on 29 October, the agreement will allow Leonardo engineers to develop and integrate autonomous behaviours for anti-submarine warfare, surveillance, reconnaissance and contested logistics.
Proteus completed its maiden flight at Predannack airfield in Cornwall in January 2026 under a £60 million Royal Navy technology-demonstration programme. Built by Leonardo in Yeovil, the rotorcraft flew a short test routine under its own flight controls, with ground test pilots monitoring the aircraft for safety. The maiden flight used Leonardo’s existing autonomy software. Proteus is designed to carry more than one tonne of modular payloads, including equipment for maritime surveillance and anti-submarine missions.
The new agreement adds a mission-development layer that Leonardo can modify for individual aircraft, sensors and tasks. Shield AI says Hivemind enables partner engineering teams to build, test and update their own autonomous pilots. Shield has been extending this software approach beyond its own aircraft into third-party autonomous platforms. Leonardo will remain responsible for the Proteus airframe and for integrating the new capability into its existing control architecture.
The Royal Navy is using Proteus to investigate how uncrewed rotorcraft might operate alongside crewed aircraft within its future hybrid maritime air wing. Its Atlantic Bastion programme includes detecting and tracking undersea threats across the North Atlantic, a mission requiring sustained sensor coverage and coordination between aircraft and other platforms. Proteus remains a technology demonstrator, with the new agreement supporting development of additional mission-autonomy functions.
