Shield AI, a company specializing in autonomous military aircraft, announced it has secured $1.5 billion in Series G funding, achieving a post-money valuation of $12.7 billion. Led by private equity firm Advent and an investment group from JPMorganChase, the funding round also involves the sale of $500 million in preferred shares to Blackstone-managed funds, along with a $250 million loan option. This financial boost supports Shield AI’s acquisition of Aechelon Technology, which produces flight simulation technology for training U.S. military pilots, though the terms remain undisclosed.
This raises Shield’s valuation significantly from $5.3 billion in March 2025 by 140% within a year, driven by its Hivemind autonomy software’s selection for the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone prototype program. The software’s compatibility with competitor Anduril’s “Fury” autonomous fighter jet highlights the Air Force’s strategy to avoid vendor dependency for its next-gen drone fleet.
While Anduril collaborates with Shield AI, it remains confident, having raised $2.5 billion at a $30.5 billion valuation in June, and is reportedly seeking up to $8 billion at a $60 billion valuation.
Additional investors in Shield’s Series G round include Snowpoint Ventures, InnovationX, Riot Ventures, Disruptive, and Apandion.