DEPLOYDatabase

Deployment

Shield AI V-BAT at United States

Group 3 VTOL fixed-wing ISR/targeting drone (designated MQ-35) that takes off and lands vertically from a small footprint, powered by the Hivemind autonomy stack and resilient in GPS- and communications-denied environments. Fielded in Ukraine and selected by the US Coast Guard. (V-BAT Teams is a multi-aircraft capability, not a separate model.)

Shield AI V-BAT by Shield AI · Operated by United States Coast Guard · Catalog entry · 4 sources · not yet field-verified

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Machine-readable surfaces

Footage

PRIMARY SOURCE
Courtesy of Shield AI

Shield AI's presentation of its V-BAT VTOL uncrewed aircraft operating in autonomous teams via its Hivemind autonomy. An ISR platform; swarm and contested-environment claims are Shield AI's.

Shield AI V-BAT vertical-takeoff-and-landing unmanned aircraft active with US Coast Guard. Passed operational evaluation August 2025. Coast Guard awarded $229.3M contract for V-BAT ISR services, actively converting fleet and replacing Boeing ScanEagle systems (ScanEagle contract ends June 2026). Ship-based operations on National Security Cutters; shore-based operations include $16M task order for Puerto Rico. Land-based deployments along US-Mexico border began January 2026. V-BAT executed hundreds of targeting operations in heavily jammed GPS-denied environments in Ukraine (200+ missions in 2025, continued into 2026). Shield AI received three major contracts in 2026 as V-BAT becomes default VTOL platform across military services.

Key facts

Operator
US Coast Guard
Contract
$198M IDIQ for maritime UAS ISR (through 2029)
Status
Passed operational evaluation August 2025
Fleet
Replacing Boeing ScanEagle systems; ScanEagle contract ends June 2026
Route
Ship-based operations on National Security Cutters
Coverage
Shore-based operations include $16M task order for Puerto Rico
Coverage
Land-based deployments along US-Mexico border began January 2026
Use Case
Hundreds of targeting operations in heavily jammed GPS-denied environments in Ukraine
Scale
200+ missions in 2025, continued into 2026 in Ukraine
Technology
Vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft
Status
V-BAT becoming default VTOL platform across military services; three major contracts received in 2026

Exposure

Customer segment
defense
Scale tier
undisclosed
Contract value
$198000000 (reported)
Customer
US Coast Guard

Each exposure value carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.

Safety record

No incidents on record for Shield AI V-BAT at United States.

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Trust tier
Catalog entry · 4 sources · not yet field-verifiedhow tiers work →
Last updated
2026-07-10
Model
Shield AI V-BAT
Company
Shield AI
Location
United States
Operator
United States Coast Guard
Status
operational
Operator type
customer deployed
First seen
2024-07-01
ID
08406f2a-3a39-4d18-b3cb-528cb4a26428

Timeline

  1. Jul 2024
    First recorded
    Shield AI V-BAT first documented operating at United States.
  2. May 2026
    created
  3. Jun 2026
    field updated
    sources: source added → robotics.press: Shield AI Captures Three Major Contracts as V-BAT Becomes Default VTOL Platform
  4. Jun 2026
    field updated
    sources: source added → SatNews: Shield AI's new V-BAT passes operational evaluation with the US Coast Guard
  5. Jul 2026
    Current status: operational, reviewed
    Latest recorded state. New status transitions append here as the deployment-status recorder produces them.

On the deployment map

Shield AI V-BAT operates in United States. Explore the full verified map:

Sources (4)

  1. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shield-ais-v-bat-selected-for-198-million-contract-to-provide-us-coast-guard-with-maritime-unmanned-aircraft-system-services-302187330.html
  2. https://shield.ai/shield-ais-v-bat-selected-for-198-million-contract-to-provide-u-s-coast-guard-with-maritime-unmanned-aircraft-system-services/
  3. https://robotics.press/news/shield-ai-three-contracts-v-bat-vtol/
  4. https://satnews.com/2025/08/04/shield-ais-new-v-bat-passes-operational-evaluation-with-the-u-s-coast-guard/
Methodology: Verified · 4 sources (2 primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-10

Verification posture

Verified

High confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-10

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: production

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: aerial

Sources by quality tier

2
primary-company-ir
Company IR disclosure
2
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Shield AI V-BAT at United States.

Common questions

What is the Shield AI V-BAT deployment at United States?
Shield AI V-BAT, built by Shield AI, is recorded as a deployment at United States on the DEPLOY registry. United States Coast Guard operates the deployment.
Who operates Shield AI V-BAT at United States?
United States Coast Guard operates this deployment as a customer of Shield AI, the manufacturer of Shield AI V-BAT.
When did the Shield AI V-BAT deployment at United States go live?
The deployment is recorded as starting July 1, 2024 on the DEPLOY registry. Earlier activity may exist but is not yet sourced.
Have there been incidents at the Shield AI V-BAT deployment at United States?
No active incidents affecting this deployment are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Absence of recorded incidents is not a guarantee no incident occurred; DEPLOY records only sourced incidents and suppresses retracted ones.

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