KORTHOS / ECOSYSTEM / PRODUCT

V-BAT

About

About V-BAT

V-BAT is a tail-sitting Group 3 aircraft whose ducted-fan propulsion supports both vertical flight and efficient fixed-wing cruise. The heavy-fuel platform carries up to 18.1 kilograms, flies for more than 12 hours with an electro-optical payload and operates from a landing area measuring approximately 4.6 metres square.

A two-person team can assemble and launch the aircraft without a runway or external recovery equipment. Modular payloads include electro-optical and infrared systems, radar, ViDAR, signals equipment, SATCOM and kinetic options. Hivemind autonomy, open interfaces and navigation for communications- and GNSS-contested environments support distributed ISR, targeting and maritime missions.

06 MAR 2026

Shield AI is turning autonomy software into a defence aircraft company

Capabilities

Source-backed capabilities

  • Capability areas: Remote operation
  • Workflows: Drone ISR
  • Operating environments: Defence operational environment
  • Target markets: Defence customers including military ISR units, naval operators and special operations teams.
  • Deployment model: Deployed defence product with active procurement programs.
  • ISR and tactical support

    Customer-site use - 2025-10-21 - Shield AI's V-BAT supported ISR operations for the U.S. Navy during UNITAS 2025. - environment: ISR operations

    Source
  • ISR and tactical support

    Customer-site use - 2025-01-22 - Shield AI V-BAT was selected as the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force first maritime ISR platform. - environment: defense maritime UAS

    Source
  • Electronic-warfare sensing and response

    Demonstrated - 2025-04-01 - Operated against active jammers during Project Convergence Capstone 5. - environment: Project Convergence Capstone 5 at Fort Irwin

    Source
  • ISR and tactical support

    Claimed - V-BAT supports ISR support.

    Source

Operations

  • Order / Commitment

    V-BAT and Hivemind selected for Indian Army - 2026-01-28 - Indian Army - defense UAS and autonomy procurement - Shield AI was selected to supply V-BAT aircraft together with Hivemind autonomy software to the Indian Army.

    Source
  • Order / Commitment

    V-BAT selected for Navy and Marine Corps - 2025-07-08 - Netherlands Ministry of Defence - defense UAS procurement - The Netherlands Ministry of Defence selected Shield AI V-BAT to equip its Navy and Marine Corps.

    Source
  • Order / Commitment

    V-BAT selected as first maritime ISR platform - 2025-01-22 - Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force - defense maritime UAS - Shield AI V-BAT was selected as the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force first maritime ISR platform.

    Source
  • Order / Commitment

    $198 million - 2024-07-01 - U.S. Coast Guard - maritime unmanned aircraft services - Shield AI said V-BAT was selected for a $198 million U.S. Coast Guard maritime unmanned aircraft system services contract.

    Source

Deployments

  • Operating Use

    13000 missions - 2026-06-29 - Shield AI reports more than 13,000 V-BAT missions across multiple deployments.

    Source
  • Operating Use

    V-BAT supported U.S. Navy ISR operations during UNITAS 2025 - 2025-10-21 - U.S. Navy - ISR operations - Shield AI's V-BAT supported ISR operations for the U.S. Navy during UNITAS 2025.

    Source
  • Operating Use

    V-BAT missions supporting Frontex border and emergency operations - 2025-08-06 - Frontex - border and emergency operations - Shield AI completed V-BAT missions supporting Frontex border and emergency operations in eastern Europe.

    Source
  • Operating Use

    130+ V-BAT sorties in Ukraine - 2025-04-17 - Ukrainian forces - defense UAS operations - Shield AI reported more than 130 V-BAT sorties in Ukraine in partnership with Ukrainian forces.

    Source

Timeline

  • Poland signs $16 million contract for Shield AI MQ-35 V-BAT UAVs

    2026-06-23 - Contract Award - The contract covers several MQ-35 V-BAT platforms for delivery to the Polish Navy by the end of 2026. Polish authorities say the systems will support maritime ISR and improve protection of critical infrastructure and communication routes. The V-BAT’s vertical takeoff and landing profile supports shipboard operations where runway length is limited.

    Source
  • Shield AI selected to integrate Hivemind autonomy on LUCAS combat drone program

    2026-05-19 - Contract Award - Shield AI secured a Pentagon contract to integrate Hivemind autonomy software onto the Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System program. The LUCAS effort is aimed at fielding lower-cost uncrewed combat aircraft and drone-swarm concepts. The selection adds another combat-aircraft integration path for Hivemind beyond Shield AI's existing V-BAT and collaborative-combat-aircraft work.

    Source
  • Shield AI's V-BAT proves cold weather capabilities in NATO's arena HEIMDALL exercise

    2026-03-03 - Demonstration - V-BAT completed ship- and land-based vertical take-off and landing missions during NATO HEIMDALL 26 in Norway. Day and night sorties used electro-optical, infrared and synthetic-aperture-radar payloads without aircraft configuration changes. The aircraft fed ISR data into multinational command-and-control systems over multiple frequency bands.

    Source
  • Shield AI selected to provide V-BAT and Hivemind to the Indian Army

    2026-01-28 - Contract Award - The Indian Army selected Shield AI to supply V-BAT aircraft together with Hivemind autonomy software. This is a combined platform-and-software deal, not just an aircraft order. The award shows Shield AI selling both the vehicle layer and the autonomy layer into a major defence customer.

    Source
  • V-BAT supports ISR operations for the U.S. Navy during UNITAS 2025

    2025-10-21 - Deployment - V-BAT deployed from USS Cooperstown during UNITAS 2025 and provided ISR across maritime training scenarios. The aircraft passed full-motion video and ViDAR wide-area-search data into the Navy Minotaur Family of Services common operating picture. The deployment supported the MARLINS task order for U.S. Southern Command and involved 25 allied and partner nations.

    Source
  • Shield AI completes successful V-BAT deployment supporting border and emergency operations with Frontex in eastern Europe

    2025-08-06 - Deployment - V-BAT operated for Frontex from early June 2025 across thousands of miles of European land and maritime borders. The aircraft supported surveillance, border security and emergency response, including a July wildfire mission in eastern Bulgaria. During the fire response, V-BAT detected the blaze from 30 kilometres away and supplied real-time fire, hotspot and personnel-location data.

    Source
  • Shield AI's new V-BAT passes operational evaluation with U.S. Coast Guard

    2025-07-31 - Demonstration - The upgraded V-BAT passed an operational evaluation with the U.S. Coast Guard. The evaluation tested maritime ISR suitability and expeditionary launch-and-recovery. The milestone preceded broader Coast Guard service opportunities for the platform.

    Source
  • Netherlands Ministry of Defence selects V-BAT

    2025-07-08 - Contract Award - The Netherlands Ministry of Defence selected V-BAT for its Navy and Marine Corps. The procurement establishes a named European naval and expeditionary operator. The award expands V-BAT’s international maritime ISR customer base.

    Source
  • Shield AI surpasses 130 V-BAT sorties in Ukraine in partnership with Ukrainian forces

    2025-04-17 - Deployment - V-BAT completed more than 130 sorties in Ukraine with Ukrainian forces. The operations took place in GPS- and communications-jammed conditions. The sortie count provides a quantified field-use marker for the Group 3 VTOL aircraft.

    Source
  • Shield AI unveils V-BAT block upgrade powered by Hivemind

    2025-04-07 - Product Launch - Shield AI announced a major V-BAT upgrade that added a new autonomy package alongside other system improvements. The release ties the upgraded aircraft directly to Hivemind, plus new SATCOM and heavy-fuel features. The update shows the company improving its existing aircraft platform rather than relying only on new-product headlines.

    Source
  • Shield AI's V-BAT successfully demonstrates resilience to electronic warfare at Project Convergence Capstone 5

    2025-04-01 - Demonstration - V-BAT demonstrated electronic-warfare resilience at Project Convergence Capstone 5. The aircraft operated in contested communications and navigation conditions. The demonstration validated V-BAT’s expeditionary ISR posture against realistic electronic-warfare constraints.

    Source
  • V-BAT selected by Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force

    2025-01-22 - Contract Award - Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force selected Shield AI's V-BAT as its first maritime ISR platform. The selection placed V-BAT in a named naval operator setting rather than a generic defense demonstration. The award expanded V-BAT's Asia-Pacific defense customer base for shipborne and expeditionary intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

    Source
  • Shield AI starts training with Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, establishes local presence in Ukraine

    2025-01-16 - Partnership - Shield AI began training with Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces. The company also established a local presence for training, sustainment and field operations. The programme expanded operational support around Shield AI autonomous aircraft in Ukraine.

    Source
  • JSW Defence and Shield AI forge strategic partnership to bring cutting-edge military aircraft technology to India

    2024-11-12 - Partnership - JSW Defence and Shield AI formed a strategic partnership to bring military aircraft technology to India. The arrangement covers local capability development around Shield AI autonomous aircraft technology. The partnership supports production, deployment and sustainment activity in the Indian defence market.

    Source
  • V-BAT selected for U.S. Coast Guard contract

    2024-07-01 - Contract Award - The U.S. Coast Guard selected V-BAT under a contract worth up to about $198 million for maritime unmanned aircraft system services. The award is tied directly to Shield AI's aircraft platform rather than a broader autonomy-software partnership. The award is one of the clearest large-scale customer validations for V-BAT in U.S. government service.

    Source
  • Shield AI unveils V-BAT autonomous teaming capability

    2023-10-09 - Partnership - It comes in the form of a modular Nvidia GPU upgrade running Hivemind, Shield AI’s AI pilot, which is loaded into the modular payload bay of the V-BAT. CAPTCHA Back to options Your Platform, Our Autonomy " * " indicates required fields Your name * Work e-mail * Job Title * Company * Country * How can we help?.

    Source

Context

Market context

Shield AI says V-BAT is a Group 3 VTOL UAS for ISR and targeting, with a max payload of 40 lb, 13+ hours endurance, fully unassisted launch and landing, operation in winds up to 25 kts and moving ship speed of 10 kts, deployment in under 30 minutes by a 2-person team, and operation from landing zones as small as 4.

  • Target environment: Defence operational environments, austere field sites and shipborne decks.
  • Workflow context: Intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting in environments where runway-independent launch and recovery are critical.
  • Customer context: Defence customers including military ISR units, naval operators and special operations teams.
  • Deployment model: Deployed defence product with active procurement programs.
  • Commercial maturity: Deployed platform with active defence procurement and field use.
  • Adoption constraints: Defence procurement cycles and export controls are the primary adoption constraints.
  • Market position: A reference VTOL UAV for tactical ISR in contested environments. Distinct from larger MALE UAVs by its shipborne and austere-site deployment capability.
  • Adjacent products: Skydio X10 (ISR workflow overlap), tactical ISR UAVs, Group 3 VTOL systems

Comparable Systems

Related Systems