Shield AI opens Bengaluru engineering office: autonomy and flight software jobs to watch
US defence technology company Shield AI has opened an engineering office in Bengaluru, Analytics India Magazine reported on 13 November 2026. The new team will build and test autonomy software for Indian aircraft and defence systems, and the company says it is hiring engineers for it.
This is Shield AI's second office in India. It opened its first office in New Delhi in April 2026 and said then that a Bengaluru office would follow.
What the Bengaluru team will work on
The Bengaluru office is at GoodWorks GCC Nexus. The team will focus on Hivemind, Shield AI's software that lets aircraft fly and carry out missions on their own, acting as an AI pilot.
The Bengaluru engineers will work with the New Delhi office, which handles the company's work with India's Ministry of Defence, the armed forces and Indian industry partners.
Sarjan Shah, Managing Director for India at Shield AI, said the company is hiring engineers to build, test and improve mission autonomy for Indian platforms. Karnataka IT Secretary Dr Manjula N. welcomed the move as an addition to the state's research and development base.
Roles Shield AI is hiring for
The company has not said how many people it will hire. The roles named for Bengaluru are:
- Autonomy engineers
- Flight software engineers
- Simulation engineers
- Systems integration engineers
- Test and evaluation engineers
Why this matters for engineers in India
Shield AI already has a growing presence in India. In November 2024 it partnered with JSW Defence to make its V-BAT drone in India, and JSW is building a production facility in Hyderabad. Earlier in 2026, the Indian Army selected Shield AI to supply V-BAT aircraft along with licences for its Hivemind software.
A local engineering team means more of this software work can now happen in India. For software engineers, it adds one more option in a field that is still small in the country: autonomy and flight software, where work is closer to robotics and aerospace than to typical IT services.
Skills that help in autonomy and flight software roles
These are general skills that such roles often look for. Always check the exact requirements in each job posting.
- Programming: strong C++ and Python
- Robotics basics: motion planning, control systems and sensor data
- Simulation: building and running software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop tests
- Testing: test automation, integration testing and clear test reports
- Real-time and embedded systems: Linux, timing and performance limits
How to apply
Apply only through Shield AI's official careers page and filter for Bengaluru. Never pay anyone for a job offer. Defence work may also involve extra background or security checks.
For more openings in the city, see IT jobs in Bengaluru, software engineer jobs, testing jobs and Python jobs.
Sources: Analytics India Magazine, 13 November 2026 · Shield AI press release, April 2026
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