Greece expands its Shield AI V-BAT drone fleet to watch the Aegean
The order expands a drone Greece already uses to watch its Aegean islands, and brings Shield AI's Hivemind autonomy business to Athens.
The order expands a drone Greece already uses to watch its Aegean islands, and brings Shield AI's Hivemind autonomy business to Athens.
Greece's Hellenic Army has signed a procurement agreement to expand its fleet of Shield AI V-BAT drones for maritime surveillance across the Aegean Sea, Shield AI announced June 2. The army already flies the V-BAT for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and the order adds more aircraft, the company said.
The V-BAT is a NATO Class I vertical-takeoff drone weighing under 330 pounds, with a ducted-fan design, a heavy-fuel engine and more than 12 hours of endurance, according to Shield AI's release as carried by Defence Industry Europe and ASD News. It launches and recovers vertically from ship decks, rooftops and island clearings, no runway needed. Greece holds hundreds of islands across tens of thousands of square kilometers of water, much of it close to contested Turkish waters, and crewed aircraft cannot hold that watch cheaply, Defence Blog and Greek Reporter noted.
The drone runs Shield AI's Hivemind autonomy software and has flown in Ukraine through Russian GPS jamming and communications denial, said James Lythgoe, the company's regional director for Eastern and Southeast Europe. Greek Reporter wrote that the same resilience against spoofing and jamming is what keeps the V-BAT flying against a sophisticated adversary.
Shield AI will open an office in Athens and bring in Hivemind to help build what it calls sovereign autonomous capabilities, the company said. The Greek order follows other recent V-BAT and Hivemind business: ASD News reported the US Navy selected the drone in April to compete for up to $800 million in ISR services, and that Shield AI has since extended Hivemind into the LUCAS attack-drone program and a maritime-autonomy partnership in Taiwan.
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Subscribe Free →Greece already flies the V-BAT. The Athens office is Shield AI's bet that more Aegean orders, in the air and off the ships, follow.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Greece agree to buy?
The Hellenic Army signed a procurement agreement to expand its existing fleet of Shield AI V-BAT vertical-takeoff drones for Maritime Domain Awareness across the Aegean Sea, Shield AI announced on June 2, 2026. ASD News and Defence Industry Europe carried the company's release.
What is the V-BAT and why does it suit the Aegean?
It is a NATO Class I vertical-takeoff drone weighing under 330 pounds, with a ducted-fan design, a heavy-fuel engine and more than 12 hours of endurance, according to Shield AI. Because it launches and recovers without a runway, from ship decks or small island clearings, Defence Blog and Greek Reporter reported it can hold persistent watch over Greece's dispersed islands where crewed aircraft cannot.
What is the autonomy angle?
The V-BAT runs Shield AI's Hivemind autonomy software. Regional director James Lythgoe said the drone has flown in Ukraine through Russian GPS jamming and communications denial, which Greek Reporter framed as proof it can keep operating against a capable adversary's electronic warfare.
Why does the Athens office matter?
Shield AI said it will open an office in Athens and bring in Hivemind to help build sovereign autonomous capabilities, signaling a longer-term move into the Greek defense market rather than a one-off sale.
How does this fit Shield AI's wider business?
ASD News reported that the US Navy selected V-BAT in April to compete for up to $800 million in ISR services, and that Shield AI has extended Hivemind into the LUCAS attack-drone program and a maritime-autonomy partnership in Taiwan.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
Marcus Schuler
Marcus Schuler edits BattlePolicy, a daily defense-technology brief connecting the companies and capabilities behind modern war to the contest among Europe, the US, Russia, and China.