Shield AI has unveiled a modernised version of its V-BAT unmanned aerial system (UAS), aimed at providing enhanced intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities for the United States and allied nations.

V-BAT offers combat-proven strategic and tactical-level ISR and targeting capabilities at a fraction of the cost and logistical burden of larger Group 4 and 5 drones with comparable performance. Designed, tested, and deployed for the electronic warfare battlespace, V-BAT has demonstrated mission effectiveness in GNSS-denied and communications-contested environments.

Among the key upgrades is a heavy fuel engine designed to run on JP-5 — the most common kerosene-based jet fuel used in maritime operations — enabling flight durations exceeding 13 hours in the field.

The system also features fully autonomous vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capability, requiring no human intervention. As with its standard variant, the upgraded V-BAT requires no runway, catapult, or net-based recovery systems. It also supports rapid deployment in under 30 minutes.

Its compact design ensures swift assembly and mission readiness: V-BAT can be deployed by a two-person team and is small enough to fit in the back of a pickup truck or a UH-60 Black Hawk.

Also read: Integration of RF HUNTER into SIGFLY VTOL | A Step Ahead in Electronic Warfare

The system continues to operate using Shield AI’s Hivemind software — a beyond-line-of-sight satellite communications technology — and is equipped with a laser target designator, an Automatic Identification System (AIS), and kinetic munitions.

The upgraded V-BAT also supports integration of a wide array of mission payloads,  including wide-area motion imagery, electronic warfare devices, synthetic aperture radar, and ViDAR — the first passive, multi-domain AI-enabled optical sensor designed for operations over both sea and land.

Technical specifications:

• Height: 3.8 m
• Wingspan: 2.9 m
• Maximum Gross Take-off Weight: 73 kg

V-BAT is engineered for a full spectrum of drone missions from—deep-penetration ISR-T in GPS- and comms-denied environments, to border security, search and rescue, and counter-narcotics operations.

Shield AI’s V-BAT is currently in use by maritime and expeditionary units of the US military. In July 2024, the company was awarded a $198.1 million contract to supply the system to the US Coast Guard through 2029. Internationally, the aircraft has been adopted by the Romanian Navy, the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force, and the Indian Armed Forces.

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