American private defense company Shield AI announced that India has chosen their V-BAT drone for its military. In addition to the direct purchase of drones, the agreement includes a license for the company's Hivemind software, which provides a high level of autonomy and enables work without operator intervention.
"V-BAT's ability to operate without runways, deliver long-endurance intelligence at the tactical edge, and perform in contested environments makes it uniquely suited to provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) from the Himalayas to India's oceanic borders," Sarjan Shah, Shield AI's managing director for India said.
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This move is logical and expected, given that as early as the fall of 2024 it became known that India's JSW Group and U.S. Shield AI had established a joint venture as part of plans to localize V-BAT drone production in India.
The total cost of constructing the facility and training personnel was estimated at $90 million. Meanwhile, construction began in December last year.
In 2024, Shield AI disclosed that V-BAT drones had been covertly tested in Ukraine, demonstrating resilience to electronic warfare and assisting in the detection of russian surface-to-air missile systems.
V-BAT is a reconnaissance drone equipped with an opto-electronic station, an MWIR thermal imaging sensor, and the option to use artificial intelligence systems for target recognition. It has a maximum payload of 18.1 kg and a weight of 73 kg, can stay in the air for over 12 hours, as well as has a maximum range of 180 km (satellite communication option is available).
Its most important feature is its vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability. In addition, in October, Shield AI presented the X-BAT jet drone, which can be called an unmanned fighter with the ability to carry two bombs or two AIM-120 air-to-air missiles in its internal compartments.
As for the V-BAT, it has recently been announced that Shield AI has partnered with South Korea's LIG Nex1, under which V-BAT drones will be equipped with the new L-MDM guided missiles. It is unknown whether this option will be available for India, but it demonstrates that Shield AI is open to collaborations to create interesting combinations of their drone with other companies' developments.
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