How BAE Systems & Scale AI Accelerates Agentic AI in Defence

Recent conflict in the Middle East revealed AI’s potential for warfare.  

As modern weaponry is increasingly turning to AI, BAE Systems has joined forces with Scale AI to accelerate the development and deployment of advanced AI across the US Department of War’s most critical platforms.

The strategic relationship aims to integrate agentic AI capabilities directly into operational systems, creating a new standard for modern defence operations.

“Modern warfare is won at the speed of data,” says Peder Jungck, Chief Innovation & Strategy Officer for the Intelligence & Security sector at BAE Systems. 

“By teaming with Scale AI, we are ensuring that the Department of War has access to the world's most advanced agentic tools, to create intelligent, adaptive systems that can out-think and outpace the adversaries.”

The collaboration combines BAE Systems’ decades of experience in defence operations, systems integration and platform design with Scale AI’s suite of capabilities, including the Scale Data Engine and Generative AI Platform. 

In the current political climate, as AI giants and their role in warfare faces increasing public scrutiny, these organisations are reshaping how mission-critical systems process information, make decisions and coordinate effects across distributed forces.

Agentic AI for target recognition

Central to the partnership is the integration of AI into BAE Systems’ Aided Target Recognition (AiTR) systems. 

By leveraging Scale AI’s data-driven platforms, AiTR systems can train computer vision models to identify and prioritise engagement options at the tactical edge.

To ensure the AI is ready for real-world missions, the teams are employing a sim-to-real pipeline – in other words, training using simulations.

This approach runs thousands of automated simulation cycles, exposing AI systems to extreme edge cases scenarios like obscured sightlines and complex terrain. 

Fool proofing the software is the ultimate goal with simulations, as by the end of training, the software would have experienced more combat scenarios in virtual simulations than any human crew could encounter in a lifetime.

“We’re proud to collaborate with BAE Systems to bring agentic AI capabilities to America’s most critical military platforms,” says Zane Teeters, Head of Public Sector GTM, Scale AI. 

“The value of this agreement is ensuring that human operators have the most advanced AI capabilities available on today’s platforms and systems, dramatically accelerating the time to mission impact for the Department of War.”

The human-machine advantage

By embedding agentic AI directly into operational platforms, the collaboration is creating a true human-machine advantage at the edge of operations. 

AI-enhanced systems translate sensing data into coordinated effects across forces, enabling faster, better-informed decision-making and improving operational resilience in contested environments.

The partnership also demonstrates a wider trend in defence technology: moving from reactive systems to proactive, intelligent platforms that can anticipate and respond to threats in real time. 

While there are still concerns regarding the ethical use of AI in the battlefield, by pushing routine analytical tasks towards AI, human operators can focus on strategic oversight, making rapid decisions in high-stakes scenarios.

As adversaries increasingly leverage technology to accelerate attacks, BAE Systems and Scale AI’s collaboration ensures that US military platforms remain adaptive, resilient and mission-ready. 

By combining advanced AI with decades of operational experience, the partnership sets a new benchmark for speed, precision and effectiveness in modern warfare.