Shield AI V-BAT
Shield AI's ducted-fan VTOL tail-sitter – a runway-independent ISR and targeting drone that proved it can operate deep inside Russian electronic warfare and cue precision fires for Ukrainian forces.
A runway-independent, ducted-fan VTOL uncrewed aircraft that provides long-endurance ISR and targeting in GPS- and comms-denied environments, fielded by the US and allied forces and proven under Russian electronic warfare in Ukraine.
Overview
The V-BAT, designated MQ-35A in US service, is a Group 3 tail-sitter unmanned aerial system built around a single enclosed ducted fan. Shield AI designed it for expeditionary intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting (ISR-T) from land or ships without runways, and markets it as delivering “Group 4/5 capability in a Group 3 package.” The airframe is paired with the company’s Hivemind AI pilot, which allows flight in GPS- and communications-denied environments – a feature that has anchored its rapid adoption by the US Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, as well as a widening set of international operators from Japan to Ukraine.
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