Bengaluru. Shield on November 13 announced that it has opened an engineering office at the GoodWorks GCC Nexus in Bengaluru, where Indian engineers will develop and test autonomy software for Indian aircraft and defence systems to support India’s goal of self-reliance in defence. The team will work on Hivemind, Shield’s software platform for developing, deploying and operating autonomous systems. Bengaluru is Shield’s second office in India; the company opened its New Delhi office in April this year.
Shield will hire engineers in autonomy, flight software, simulation, systems integration, and test and evaluation. Bengaluru is home to top Indian talent and a large base of software and aerospace engineers. The team will work with Shield’s New Delhi office, which leads engagement with the Ministry of Defence, the Indian armed forces and Indian industry.
In October, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh released the Indian Army’s Land Warfare Doctrine 2026 and called for faster progress in artificial intelligence and autonomous systems. Enabling sovereign development of these systems accelerates locally designed capabilities, while preserving India’s control over its critical defence technologies.
“New Delhi brought us closer to our customers. Bengaluru gives us the engineering team to build for them,” said Sarjan Shah, managing director for India at Shield. “Self-reliance in defence depends on the software layer. We are hiring here to build, test, and improve mission autonomy for Indian platforms, so that India’s armed forces can own this capability for the long term.”
Congratulating Shield leadership, Dr Manjula N, IAS, Secretary to Government, Department of Electronics, Information Technology, Biotechnology, and Science & Technology said, “Shield’s Bengaluru engineering centre is a welcome addition to Karnataka’s growing ecosystem of global technology and R&D centres. The focus on autonomy software, simulation and advanced engineering will create opportunities for specialised talent and strengthen the state’s capabilities in emerging technologies. We look forward to supporting such high-value investments that contribute to Karnataka’s innovation-led growth.”
Speaking on the occasion, Sanjeev Gupta, CEO of Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM) said, “Shield’s expansion into Bengaluru reinforces Karnataka’s attractiveness as a destination for next-generation innovation centres and advanced engineering operations. At KDEM, our focus is on enabling global enterprises to leverage Karnataka’s deep technology talent, industry ecosystem and innovation capabilities. We welcome Shield AI and look forward to supporting its growth and engagement with the state’s technology ecosystem.”
The Bengaluru office builds on Shield’s work in India. In November 2024, Shield announced a strategic partnership with JSW Defence Pvt. Ltd. to indigenise and manufacture its V-BAT unmanned aircraft system in India. As part of a $90 million investment, JSW Defence began building a V-BAT production facility in December 2025 at EMC Maheshwaram in Hyderabad. In January 2026, India selected Shield AI to supply V-BATs and Hivemind autonomy software licenses to the Indian Army.
