Shield AI
[PRIVATE]Drones · HQ: San Diego, California · Est. 2015 · 2 models registered · 8 deployments
As of Sep 2026, DEPLOY verifies Shield AI: 2 models, 8 deployments across 5 regions, $4.2B raised, 1 active incident. 13 sources back the record.
Ownership
PRIVATE
Capital / Funding
$4.2B
Headquarters
San Diego, California
IP / Patents
1 Active
Platform Models
2
Audited Incidents
1
Overview
American defense-autonomy company (San Diego, founded 2015 by Brandon Tseng, Ryan Tseng, and Andrew Reiter) building the Hivemind AI pilot and the V-BAT VTOL drone. Hivemind flies aircraft without GPS, communications, or a human pilot. Raised $2B at a $12.7B valuation in March 2026; Gary Steele became CEO in 2025 (effective May).
Well-capitalized with $4.2B raised and recent funding activity. Strong deployment footprint with 10 operational sites across 9 countries. Thin IP estate relative to category peers.
- AERIAL
Key Facts
Claims & Reality Assessment
Audited Corporate Claims Ledger
- [VERIFIED]CustomerClaimed: Jun 15, 2026
“Acquisition completed. $2B Series G funding round. Shield AI is now valued at approximately $61B. https://shield.ai/”
- [VERIFIED]CustomerClaimed: Jan 1, 2026
“130+ combat sorties in Ukraine confirmed by Shield AI. V-BAT demonstrated "exceptional performance in contested electromagnetic conditions." This is combat-verified autonomous operation. https://shield.ai/v-bat/”
- [VERIFIED]CapabilityClaimed: Jan 1, 2026
“Ukraine operations are in a GPS-denied, EW-contested environment. 130+ sorties confirm the V-BAT can operate in these conditions. This is one of the strongest combat-verified autonomy claims in the defense drone space.”
- [OPEN]CapabilityClaimed: Jan 1, 2026
“Multi-drone autonomous team operations have been demonstrated (YouTube video) but not independently verified in combat at scale. Single V-BAT autonomy is combat-verified; multi-drone teaming is demonstrated but not yet combat-proven. https://shield.ai/v-bat/”
Safety & Regulatory Posture
1 incident on record (1 serious). Most recent: May 2026.
Leadership & Founders
Current Program Leadership & Executives
Co-founder & President
Chief Marketing Officer
Chief People Officer
CEO
President & Chief Strategy Officer
Chief Legal Officer
Chief Information Officer
Co-founder & Technical Fellow (former CTO)
Chief Technology Officer
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Revenue Officer
Founding Team
cofounder · founded 2015-01-01
cofounder · founded 2015-01-01
cofounder · founded 2015-01-01
Key Former Leadership (2 Tracked)
Partnerships & Commercial Deployments
Recent Verified Partnerships
- US Air Force CCA Mission Autonomy x Shield AIJun 17, 2026
MOST RECENT · US Air Force CCA Mission Autonomy x Shield AI · 2026-06-17 · with US Air Force · OPERATING · Shield AI x US Air Force CCA Production Contract · 2026-06-15 · with US Air Force · OPERATING · Shield AI x Palantir AI-powered autonomous aircraft · 2026-06-01 · with Palantir · OPERATING · Shield AI acquires Aechelon Technology · 2026-03-26 · with Aechelon Technology · OPERATING · Northrop Grumman x Shield AI · 2026-03-19 · with Northrop Grumman · OPERATING
Operator Customers & Fleet Integrators
Patents & Intellectual Property
- Filed: Aug 31, 2017Granted: Nov 26, 2019
Platform Models
Deployments
- Shield AI V-BAT at San Diego, CA[OPERATIONAL]
San Diego, CA · Jun 1, 2024
- Shield AI V-BAT at United States[OPERATIONAL]
United States · Jul 1, 2024
- Shield AI V-BAT at Ukraine[OPERATIONAL]
Ukraine · Jun 1, 2024
- Hivemind at U.S. Air Force CCA Program, USA[OPERATIONAL]
U.S. Air Force CCA Program, USA · Jun 17, 2026
- Hivemind at Pentagon, USA[OPERATIONAL]
Pentagon, USA · May 19, 2026
- Hivemind at Iran Conflict Zone (US Central Command)[OPERATIONAL]
Iran Conflict Zone (US Central Command) · May 1, 2026
- Hivemind at United States (multiple hotel chains)[ANNOUNCED]
United States (multiple hotel chains) · May 19, 2026
- Shield AI V-BAT at Ukraine[OPERATIONAL]
Ukraine · Jan 1, 2026
Incidents affecting Shield AI
Autonomy Stacks & Software
- Shield AI HivemindAutonomy Brain
Sectors & Applications
FAQ
What is Shield AI?
American defense-autonomy company (San Diego, founded 2015 by Brandon Tseng, Ryan Tseng, and Andrew Reiter) building the Hivemind AI pilot and the V-BAT VTOL drone. Hivemind flies aircraft without GPS, communications, or a human pilot. Raised $2B at a $12.7B valuation in March 2026; Gary Steele became CEO in 2025 (effective May).
What does Shield AI make?
Shield AI has 2 robot models on the DEPLOY registry: Hivemind, Shield AI V-BAT (Shield AI builds both physical robots and the AI that runs them).
Is Shield AI publicly traded?
No. Shield AI is privately held and not publicly traded, per the DEPLOY registry.
Who competes with Shield AI?
On the DEPLOY registry, peer companies to Shield AI building in the same form factors include Amazon, Roborock, Unitree Robotics, Anduril Industries.
Who is the CEO of Shield AI?
Gary Steele is the ceo of Shield AI, per the DEPLOY registry.
How can I invest in Shield AI?
Shield AI is a private company; its shares are not available on public markets, so retail investors cannot buy the stock today. It has raised $4.2B in disclosed funding.
Where is Shield AI headquartered?
Shield AI is headquartered in San Diego, California, USA.
How much funding has Shield AI raised?
Shield AI has raised approximately $4.2B in disclosed funding on record in the DEPLOY registry.
Who owns Shield AI?
Shield AI is privately held and venture-backed ($4.2B raised); ownership sits with its founders and private investors.
Where does Shield AI operate robots?
Shield AI operates 8 verified deployments, including at United States (multiple hotel chains), Ukraine, U.S. Air Force CCA Program, USA.
How many robots has Shield AI deployed?
DEPLOY has 8 verified Shield AI deployments on record at sites including United States (multiple hotel chains), Ukraine, U.S. Air Force CCA Program, USA. That is a count of distinct field deployments each backed by sourced evidence, not a manufacturer's claimed unit total; it updates as new sites are verified.
Is Shield AI a top robotics company?
On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, funding, hiring, media, safety, and IP signals, Shield AI ranks in roughly the top 3% of companies tracked by the registry.
When was Shield AI founded?
Shield AI was founded in 2015.
Are there any incidents involving Shield AI?
1 active incident involving Shield AI is on the DEPLOY registry. Each is a sourced, append-only record; retracted incidents are suppressed from this view.
Is Shield AI safe?
Shield AI has 1 active incident on record in the DEPLOY registry. 1 incident on record (1 serious). Most recent: May 2026. Retracted incidents are excluded from this count.