S

Shield AI

Builds autonomous aircraft for defense

Engineer 1 New Grad - Software Integration

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/28/2026
$79k - $110k/yr+ Bonus + Equity
Entry
Bachelor's
Washington, DC, USA+1 moreMore locations: San Diego, CA, USA
In Person
Software Engineering

About the job

Requirements
  • A bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline is required; equivalent practical experience may be considered.
  • Programming experience in C++ through coursework, projects, research, or student teams is required.
  • Familiarity with Linux and basic software debugging is required.
  • Understanding of basic programming concepts such as classes, data structures, interfaces, and object-oriented programming is required.
  • Interest in robotics, embedded software, distributed systems, autonomy, or aerospace systems is required.
  • Strong problem-solving, communication, and teamwork skills are required.
Responsibilities
  • Develop C++ software interfaces between Hivemind and sensors, flight controllers, payloads, radios, and vehicle systems.
  • Build and maintain interface blocks, platform adapters, and middleware components.
  • Integrate data from sensors and vehicle systems into autonomy software.
  • Implement and debug communication interfaces using protocols such as MAVLink, serial, TCP/UDP, and multicast.
  • Configure and deploy software on Linux-based mission computers.
  • Support Software-in-the-Loop, Hardware-in-the-Loop, Vehicle-in-the-Loop, and lab integration testing.
  • Develop Python scripts and tools for testing, configuration, data analysis, and troubleshooting.
  • Debug issues involving software interfaces, data formats, timing, networking, configuration, and system behavior.
  • Work with autonomy, systems, test, and flight teams to integrate and validate software on new platforms.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience with robotics or engineering teams such as FIRST Robotics.
  • Familiarity with ROS/ROS 2, ArduPilot, PX4, MAVLink, or similar frameworks and protocols.
  • Experience with CMake, Git, Docker, or other C++ development tools.
  • Familiarity with serial, CAN, TCP/UDP, multicast, or other communication interfaces.
  • Experience working with sensors, flight controllers, embedded systems, or mission computers.
  • Coursework or projects involving robotics, embedded systems, networking, controls, or autonomous systems.
  • Python experience for scripting, testing, or data analysis.

About the company

S

Shield AI

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cbWebsite

Shield AI builds autonomous aircraft and flight software for military and allied defense customers, with a focus on operations where conventional remote control breaks down. Its Hivemind AI pilot handles decisions during a mission, while the V-BAT aircraft gathers intelligence and locates targets. Aircraft makers use its software tools to develop and test their own autonomy, and its Aechelon business supplies visual and sensor simulation for pilot training. The company earns money from aircraft sales, autonomy software and contracted engineering and operational services. Shield AI was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Company Size

1,001-5,000

Company Stage

Late Stage VC

Total Funding

$3.3B

Headquarters

San Diego, California

Founded

2015

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Deployed customers support production work: V-BAT serves U.S. Coast Guard maritime operations and all seven Marine Expeditionary Units.
  • Expansion has fresh capital: Shield AI closed $2 billion financing by June 2026, including $500 million preferred equity.
  • Aircraft careers are expanding: September 2026 X-BAT production hiring shifted to Shield AI's new site near Seattle.

What critics are saying

  • X-BAT commercialization takes years: September 2026 plans put production in 2029, with flight testing still ahead.
  • Air Force procurement preserves competition: its modular architecture separates Hivemind mission autonomy from the aircraft.
  • Dallas operations leadership requires office attendance: Shield AI's active Deployed Operations Manager role is listed as on-site.

What makes Shield AI unique

  • V-BAT fits crowded ship decks: its enclosed rotor supports unassisted launch and landing without exposed blades.
  • Customers own their autonomy: Hivemind Enterprise lets aircraft builders retain rights to the intellectual property they develop.
  • Simulation is an established business: Shield AI's Aechelon supports over 1,200 U.S. defense flight training systems.

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Benefits

  • Medical Insurance Coverage
  • Long Term Disability Insurance
  • Health Care FSA and Dependent Care FSA
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • Subsidized Gym Membership
  • Pet Insurance
  • Competitive Compensation
  • Retirement Services
  • Life Insurance
  • Parental Leave
  • Bereavement Support
  • Flexible Work Hours

Growth & Insights and Company News

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

-1%

2 year growth

-3%
Connect CRE
Oct 19th, 2026
Panattoni secures Shield AI as tenant at Des Moines Creek Business Park West.

Panattoni secures Shield AI as tenant at Des Moines Creek Business Park West. Panattoni Development Company announced that Shield AI has selected a Panattoni-developed facility at Des Moines Creek Business Park West as the production home for X-BAT, the company's AI-piloted vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. Located at 1800 S. 216th Street in Des Moines, approximately 15 minutes south of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the approximately 405,680-square-foot facility is currently under construction and is expected to open in spring 2027. Shield AI was represented by Star Hughes-Gorup and local co-broker Owen Rice of Hughes Marino. Panattoni was represented by Thad Mallory and Taylor Hoff of Newmark, alongside Chris Corr of Kidder Mathews. "Shield AI's decision to establish X-BAT production here speaks to the strength of the Puget Sound region as a center for aerospace, advanced manufacturing and innovation," said Travis Hale, Partner with Panattoni Development Company. "We're proud to provide a facility that can support the company's growth and sophisticated manufacturing needs while bringing significant new investment and employment opportunities to the region." The project reflects a public-private partnership among the Port of Seattle, City of Des Moines, Panattoni and Shield AI.

Transcript Daily
Oct 13th, 2026
2,851 GE Aerospace $GE shares sold by Lincoln Capital Corp.

2,851 GE Aerospace $GE shares sold by Lincoln Capital Corp. Lincoln Capital Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE - Free Report) by 20.1% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 11,305 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,851 shares during the period. GE Aerospace makes up 1.2% of Lincoln Capital Corp's holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Lincoln Capital Corp's holdings in GE Aerospace were worth $3,530,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC boosted its stake in GE Aerospace by 261.0% in the second quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC now owns 213,603 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,830,000 after acquiring an additional 154,429 shares in the last quarter. Clough Capital Partners L P grew its holdings in shares of GE Aerospace by 37.1% during the first quarter. Clough Capital Partners L P now owns 70,535 shares of the company's stock worth $20,016,000 after purchasing an additional 19,105 shares during the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP increased its position in shares of GE Aerospace by 54.7% during the third quarter. HWG Holdings LP now owns 15,640 shares of the company's stock worth $4,884,000 after purchasing an additional 5,531 shares in the last quarter. Ascentis Independent Advisors increased its position in shares of GE Aerospace by 207.3% during the first quarter. Ascentis Independent Advisors now owns 4,317 shares of the company's stock worth $1,225,000 after purchasing an additional 2,912 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of GE Aerospace by 330.1% during the third quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 30,858 shares of the company's stock worth $9,637,000 after purchasing an additional 23,684 shares in the last quarter. 74.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Key GE Aerospace news. Here are the key news stories impacting GE Aerospace this week: * UK-backed Prestwick expansion: GE secured up to £33 million in government funding, alongside approximately £27 million from the company, to modernize its Prestwick maintenance facility. The project is expected to protect 850 jobs and create 150 more, strengthening GE's long-term engine-maintenance footprint for Boeing 787 aircraft. * India growth investment: GE plans to nearly double its India supply-chain spending to $400 million by 2030, increasing local sourcing as commercial aviation demand expands. Management also expects GE- and partner-built CFM engines to power the large majority of new aircraft entering India, supporting future volume and aftermarket opportunities. * Defense opportunities: GE Aerospace, Shield AI and Poland's WZL-2 signed a memorandum of understanding to explore F110 engine maintenance for autonomous fighter aircraft. The initiative could broaden GE's defense and military maintenance pipeline, although it remains an early-stage opportunity. * Analyst support: Susquehanna reportedly set a $430 price target, signaling substantial upside from recent trading levels and reinforcing the bullish view on GE's aerospace earnings outlook. * Earnings approaching: GE is scheduled to report third-quarter results before the market opens on October 20. Forecast revisions ahead of the report could increase volatility, with investors focused on execution, cash flow and full-year guidance. * CPP acquisition valuation concerns: GE's planned $11.75 billion purchase of Consolidated Precision Products should improve control over critical castings, but investors are assessing whether the large deal can justify GE's elevated earnings multiple and avoid integration or execution pressure. GE Aerospace stock performance. Discover more Stock market news Trading volume analysis Stock trading strategies GE stock traded down $0.52 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $308.12. The company had a trading volume of 4,516,473 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,094,584. GE Aerospace has a 1-year low of $268.91 and a 1-year high of $388.84. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $335.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $327.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market cap of $319.69 billion, a PE ratio of 36.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.38. GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The company reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.16. GE Aerospace had a return on equity of 40.56% and a net margin of 17.72%. The company had revenue of $12.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.87 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.66 EPS. The company's revenue was up 21.1% on a year-over-year basis. GE Aerospace has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.650-7.850 EPS. On average, analysts expect that GE Aerospace will post 7.91 earnings per share for the current year. GE Aerospace announces dividend. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 5th. GE Aerospace's dividend payout ratio is 22.14%. Analysts set new price targets. GE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $431.00 target price (up from $353.00) on shares of GE Aerospace in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $400.00 price target (up from $355.00) on shares of GE Aerospace in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on GE Aerospace from $426.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of GE Aerospace in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $435.00 price objective on GE Aerospace and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, GE Aerospace presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $386.67. Insider buying and selling. In other GE Aerospace news, SVP Mohamed Ali sold 8,096 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.71, for a total value of $2,863,636.16. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 20,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,309,770.86. This trade represents a 28.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock. GE Aerospace profile. GE Aerospace is an aerospace and defense company that designs, develops, manufactures and services aircraft engines and integrated systems. Its products support commercial and business aviation, military aircraft, and other specialized aerospace applications. The company's offerings include commercial and military jet engines, propulsion systems, avionics, electrical power systems, mechanical systems and digital solutions. GE Aerospace also provides maintenance, repair, overhaul and other lifecycle services intended to support the operation and performance of aircraft and engines. GE Aerospace serves airlines, aircraft manufacturers, leasing companies, defense organizations and other customers worldwide. Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE - Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for GE Aerospace Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for GE Aerospace and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.

Aerospace Global News
Oct 9th, 2026
$400 million in committed X-BAT funding.

$400 million in committed X-BAT funding. Yesterday, Shield AI's X-BAT programme got a major boost by attracting investment from the US Navy. The service has executed the $150 million modification with funding. Shield AI is to match the investment with $150 million of its own. The funding is coming from the Navy's Office of the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment through its Defense Exportability Features programme. This follows a separate $50 million funding effort by the Navy for the X-BAT project in August. Under that agreement, Shield AI also committed $50 million of private capital alongside the effort. Together, this brings announced public and private commitments to X-BAT to $400 million. Why X-BAT's runway independence is attractive to Navy and Marines. X-BAT is a component of the Defense Innovation Unit's (DIU) Runway Independent Maritime Expeditionary Strike (RIMES) Project. In a future high-end conflict, aircraft are expected to be vulnerable on the ground. The RIMES Project is an effort to develop long-range strike assets that are able to take off and land vertically from ships, islands, and austere sites independent of runways. The Marine Corps, in particular, is focused on finding ways to reduce its dependence on fixed runways that are bound to be targeted. Shield AI's pitch of its low-observable, VTOL, multirole X-BAT has attracted the attention of the US Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, foreign export partners, and possibly the US Army. Former commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, J.J. "Yank" Cummings is now Shield AI's head of mission solutions for the US Navy. Referring to the Navy's aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships, and other large ships, he said, "Its runway-independent design and small deck footprint can increase sortie generation and extend long-range air combat power from CVNs, LHAs, LHDs, and ESBs."

PR Newswire
Oct 8th, 2026
Shield AI and U.S. government investment in X-BAT reaches $400 million.

Shield AI and U.S. government investment in X-BAT reaches $400 million. Oct 08, 2026, 10:30 ET $150 million agreement modification supports Defense Exportability Features and is matched by $150 million in Shield AI capital WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Shield AI today announced that the U.S. Navy has executed a $150 million modification to its existing Other Transaction (OT) agreement with the company to advance X-BAT, an AI-piloted, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) fighter aircraft. The Navy executed the $150 million modification with funding from the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment through its Defense Exportability Features program. Shield AI will invest $150 million of its own capital in X-BAT alongside the government funding. In August, the Department of the Navy's Portfolio Acquisition Executive (Aviation) Rapid Capability Cell [PAE(A) RCC], in partnership with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), announced a separate $50 million funding action for X-BAT under the Runway Independent Maritime Expeditionary Strike (RIMES) effort. This action was a separate prior modification to the existing OT agreement referenced here. Shield AI independently committed $50 million of private capital alongside that effort. The two actions, together with Shield AI's investments, bring announced public and private commitments to X-BAT to $400 million. Across the broader X-BAT program, a team of 500 engineers at Shield AI and key suppliers, including GE Aerospace, is building flight-test aircraft. The team has completed engine light-off and thrust-vectoring nozzle integration and validated weapons bay aerodynamics in low- and high-speed wind-tunnel testing. Shield AI's Hivemind software serves as X-BAT's AI pilot, enabling operations in GPS-denied and communications-constrained conditions. "We are testing early and often while working on the aircraft, mission systems, ship suitability and production in parallel," said Armor Harris, senior vice president of aircraft at Shield AI. "That approach helps us identify and resolve issues earlier, reduce development risk and move more quickly toward flight testing." X-BAT is scheduled to begin flight testing later this year and is a component of DIU's RIMES Project, a multifaceted effort across industry intended to provide Combatant Commanders with long range strike assets capable of taking off and landing vertically from ships, islands and austere sites, extending strategic reach of surface and expeditionary assets without dependence on fixed runways. The low-observable, multirole aircraft is designed to take off and land vertically from ships, islands and austere sites, extending long-range airpower without dependence on fixed runways. "X-BAT is being built to enhance the lethality, survivability and combat power of U.S. Naval Aviation," said J.J. "Yank" Cummings, Shield AI's head of mission solutions for the U.S. Navy, a TOPGUN graduate and former commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. "Its runway-independent design and small deck footprint can increase sortie generation and extend long-range air combat power from CVNs, LHAs, LHDs and ESBs. Just as important, we are designing it for safe, high-tempo manned-unmanned flight deck operations and integration with the missions and capabilities of the carrier air wing, so X-BAT can add combat power without compromising existing operations." About Shield AI Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI's technology supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube. SOURCE Shield AI

Aviation Week
Oct 8th, 2026
US Navy boosts X-Bat funding to $400M with $150M investment for autonomous fighter

Shield AI has secured an additional $150 million from the US Navy for its X-Bat autonomous fighter programme, bringing total funding to $400 million. The investment follows an initial $50 million contract in July for the vertical takeoff and landing aircraft under the Navy's Runway Independent Maritime Expeditionary Strike concept. The 22,000-lb uncrewed combat vehicle is designed to operate from destroyers, expeditionary sea bases and carriers. Shield AI's Armor Harris said the funding covers development through initial testing, with first flight scheduled for later this year. However, additional financing will be needed before planned serial production begins in 2029. The programme represents a new public-private financing approach pioneered by the Navy's Rapid Capabilities Office to accelerate weapon system development.