L3Harris Technologies and Shield AI have conducted the first live flight trial of their Distributed Spectrum Collaboration and Operations (DiSCO) system.
The demonstration used Shield AI’s Hivemind mission-autonomy software onboard an L3Harris Green Wolf uncrewed aircraft system (UAS), enabling the platform to autonomously detect and respond to electromagnetic threats.
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According to both companies, the test took place at a live range where uncrewed platforms equipped with the L3Harris Deceptor electronic warfare payload identified and analysed unknown spectrum threats.
The UAS used data shared through DiSCO to autonomously direct follow-on systems through the operational area, eliminating the need for human decision-making during the process.
L3Harris spectrum superiority, communications & spectrum dominance, president Lauren Barnes said: “This successful demonstration shows how quickly we can transform concepts into operational capability for the joint force.
“By pairing autonomous decision-making with advanced spectrum battle management, we’re giving warfighters the resilience and speed they need to stay ahead of rapidly evolving threats.”
During the demonstration, Shield AI’s Hivemind software commanded the Green Wolf based on real-time threat information and autonomously rerouted additional uncrewed aircraft to circumvent detected challenges.
The scenario demonstrated several aspects of networked and distributed electronic warfare as the Green Wolf system, configured for both electronic attack and advanced detection, operated alongside other UAS equipped with electronic warfare payloads.
Building on this milestone, L3Harris and Shield AI plan to further develop mission applications and autonomous technologies for spectrum dominance, leveraging open architecture approaches for broader use in tactical environments.
Shield AI Hivemind senior vice president Christian Gutierrez said: “This flight test proved Hivemind can compress the sensor-to-decision cycle in real time, enabling autonomous systems to sense, share, and act on spectrum threats faster than ever before. We are proud to be expanding that capability alongside L3Harris.”
