Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has successfully completed flight demonstrations of AI-powered mission autonomy for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), achieving the entire process within just eight weeks. This rapid development was facilitated through a collaboration with Shield AI Inc. (SAI Inc.), utilizing their Hivemind Enterprise AI development environment.
The project marked a significant shift from previous methods, where MHI relied on multiple open-source products for in-house coding and testing, which demanded considerable effort. By leveraging Hivemind Enterprise, MHI focused more on mission autonomy development, beginning in September 2025.
The flight demonstrations took place on November 7 in Ibaraki Prefecture and December 18 in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. The AI technology, after undergoing training, simulation evaluation, and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing, was installed in the ARMD (Affordable Rapid-prototyping Mitsubishi-Drone initiative) UAV. The successful flights underscored the potential of mission autonomy in shaping Japan's UAV operations.
MHI emphasizes the importance of domestic production in advancing this critical technology. The company, alongside SAI, plans to strengthen their collaboration to further accelerate the development of mission autonomy systems. This initiative aligns with MHI's broader goals of leveraging AI technology to address various societal challenges, aiming to contribute to a safer and more secure society.
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