• Northrop Grumman said its Talon IQ testbed completed a partner mission-autonomy flight using Shield AI’s Hivemind software on the Scaled Composites Model 437 aircraft.
• During the flight, Hivemind commanded the aircraft to perform combat air patrol and target engagement maneuvers, after which control was transferred back to Northrop Grumman’s Prism autonomy software.
• The company said the demonstration showed Talon IQ can host third-party autonomy software through a plug-and-play design aligned with U.S. Government Reference Architectures.
• Shield AI said the integration moved from a single-day hardware-in-the-loop test to flight, indicating a shortened transition from lab testing to airborne trials.

Disclaimer: This news brief was created by Public Technologies (PUBT) using generative artificial intelligence. While PUBT strives to provide accurate and timely information, this AI-generated content is for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as financial, investment, or legal advice. Northrop Grumman Corporation published the original content used to generate this news brief on March 19, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained therein.