U.S. defence tech firm Shield AI has announced a new partnership with Taiwanese uncrewed systems firm Thunder Tiger Corp.
The American company, which also makes the V-BAT uncrewed aerial system (UAS), has revealed a plan to integrate its Hivemind autonomy software onto all Thunder Tiger uncrewed systems, starting with its uncrewed surface vessels (USVs).
Thunder Tiger builds the SeaShark 800, an eight-metre kamikaze attack drone capable of a top speed of 50 knots and with a range of about 350 miles. Late last year it also staged a swarming demonstration featuring six of its smaller deployed six SeaShark 680 USVs.
A recent press statement by Shield AI said the companies had just signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the wider UxV integration proposals and were planning a further live demonstration this summer with Hivemind controlling the Taiwanese USVs.
Shield AI co-founder Brandon Tseng commented: “Hivemind has been integrated and proven across dozens of platforms and domains worldwide, and we are excited to see it on the water in Taiwan with Thunder Tiger, supporting the kind of cross-domain, multi-agent teaming that changes what unmanned systems can do in contested environments.
“Our partnership with Thunder Tiger is about getting Taiwan MoND the asymmetric capabilities needed to deter conflict and is part of a broader strategy to support Taiwan.”
And Thunder Tiger’s board director and general manager Gene Su added: “Thunder Tiger has built a portfolio of unmanned systems designed for real operational conditions — from coastal defence to multi-domain missions.
“Integrating Hivemind gives our platforms the autonomous decision-making capability to execute complex missions independently and operate as part of a coordinated team.”
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MoND) is planning a major drone acquisition programme that could see it purchase up to 1,600 USVs across all branches of the Taiwanese military for coastal defence to deter a potential Chinese invasion.
Its website noted:“ The R.O.C. [Republic of China (Taiwanese)] Armed Forces have made unmanned systems a priority in force development.
“The goal is to procure domestically produced unmanned platforms with “mass-producible, maintainable, and upgradable” qualities, along with surveillance, strike, communications, and combat-support capabilities through development by civil firms, technology transfer, or licensed production, to improve asymmetric combat effectiveness and increase operational flexibility against diverse threats.”
- You can read more details on the Shield AI website and on Taiwan’s MoND website