DEPLOYDatabase

Robot model

Shield AI V-BAT

aerialproductionby Shield AI

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…

Track Shield AI V-BAT
Manufacturer
Shield AI
Form factor
aerial
Maturity
production
Lifecycle
active
Deployments
9
Website
shield.ai ↗

The verified answer

As of Aug 2026, DEPLOY verifies Shield AI V-BAT, a aerial by Shield AI (production): 9 verified deployments on record. 3 sources back the record.

Appears inMilitary & defense drones

Overview

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.)

Verified vs. claimed

Maturity stage
production(Full-scale production deployment with repeat customers.)
Sources on file
View all sources →

Key facts

Form factor

aerial

Type

VTOL fixed-wing

Group

Group 3

Designation

MQ-35

Autonomy level

Hivemind

EW resilient

true

Specs

Type

VTOL fixed-wing

Group

Group 3

Autonomy

Hivemind

Designation

MQ-35

Ew Resilient

true

Data & sources

Press releases

3

3 sources backing this record.View all →

Availability and pricing

Availability
Not sold (internal use)
Price
Not publicly disclosed
Units in field
Not disclosed
Sales model
Not disclosed
Lead time
Not disclosed

Accountability: Shield AI has a Claim Integrity of 100% (3 of 3 public claims verified). See the industry ledger.

Pricing

No verified price is on record for Shield AI V-BAT. Physical-AI systems are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price.

How DEPLOY tracks pricing

Deployments (9)

  • Shield AI V-BAT at USAoperational

    Shield AI V-BAT contributed to over $1B in drug seizures with US Coast Guard during 2025.

  • Shield AI V-BAT at USAannounced

    Navy invested in Shield AI's X-BAT, a fighter-jet-sized VTOL drone.

  • Shield AI V-BAT at Netherlandsoperational

    Shield AI V-BAT UAS deployed to support Dutch military ISR operations in the Netherlands.

  • Shield AI V-BAT at USAannounced

    Shield AI V-BAT drone to compete for up to $800M in US Navy ISR services.

  • Shield AI V-BAT at USAoperational

    Shield AI V-BAT selected for $198M contract to provide US Coast Guard with maritime UAS services.

  • Shield AI V-BAT at Ukraineoperational

    Shield AI surpassed 130 V-BAT sorties in Ukraine in partnership with Ukrainian forces.

  • Shield AI V-BAT at San Diego, CAoperational

    Shield AI V-BAT VTOL UAS deployed with US military and international customers.

  • Shield AI V-BAT at United Statesoperational

    Shield AI V-BAT vertical-takeoff-and-landing unmanned aircraft active with US Coast Guard.

  • Shield AI V-BAT at Ukraineoperational

    V-BAT operations in Ukraine in partnership with Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces: 130+ sorties in electronic-warfare-denied conditions, including locating a Russian SA-11 Buk air-defense system that was then struck.

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Recent activity

Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.

Full change history →

Deployment-verified media (1)

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.

From deployment: United States

Manufacturer-attributed media (1)

Manufacturer-supplied media at the model level. Not tied to an independently verified named-site deployment. Verification posture is product-showcase from the maker, distinct from the deployment-verified evidence in the section above.

Runs on (1)

Supply chain (1)

Compute / semiconductor

  • NVIDIANVIDIA GPU (specific model undisclosed; Shield AI describes 'modular Nvidia GPU upgrade') running Hivemind autonomy AI pilot -- provides onboard AI compute for autonomous multi-drone swarming, electronic warfare navigation, and GPS-denied operation in the V-BAT Teams configurationsupplies

Suppliers appear here when verified with at least two strong sources (maker-official / IR / regulatory / standards-body / verified tier-2). Sources are append-only; corrections add new sources rather than rewrite history.

Safety record

1 incident on record (1 serious). Most recent: May 2026.

serious
1

Most recent: May 2026

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

Incidents affecting Shield AI V-BAT (1)

Includes incidents linked directly to this model or to deployments of it. Retracted incidents are excluded from this view but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Sources (3)

  1. https://shield.ai/v-bat/
  2. https://shield.ai/shield-ai-unveils-v-bat-block-upgrade-powered-by-hivemind-advanced-autonomy-satcom-and-heavy-fuel-engine-among-new-features/
  3. https://shield.ai/autonomy-for-the-world-v-bat/

Compare Shield AI V-BAT

Common questions

What is Shield AI V-BAT?
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.)
How much does Shield AI V-BAT cost?
Shield AI V-BAT's price is not publicly disclosed. DEPLOY has no verified price on record for Shield AI V-BAT from Shield AI. Physical-AI systems like this are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price; check the manufacturer for the latest.
Is Shield AI V-BAT actually deployed in the real world?
Yes. Shield AI V-BAT is independently verified in real-world operation on the DEPLOY registry, confirmed at named deployment sites with primary sources: not a concept, render, or demo-only.
Is Shield AI V-BAT autonomous or teleoperated?
Partly. DEPLOY verifies Shield AI V-BAT operating autonomously for flight in GPS- and communications-denied environments. Other capabilities (Multi-drone autonomous team operations) are only demonstrated under teleoperation or remain vendor claims, not independently verified as autonomous.
Who makes Shield AI V-BAT?
Shield AI V-BAT is made by Shield AI, based in San Diego, California, USA, founded in 2015.
Where is Shield AI V-BAT deployed?
9 verified deployments of Shield AI V-BAT are on the DEPLOY registry, including at USA, Netherlands, Ukraine.
Can you buy Shield AI V-BAT?
Shield AI V-BAT is in commercial deployment and is sold to operators; contact the manufacturer to buy, and see the pricing section for any recorded price.
What AI powers Shield AI V-BAT?
Shield AI V-BAT runs Shield AI Hivemind. Each brain assignment is verified at the registry level via primary sources.
What are alternatives to Shield AI V-BAT?
On the DEPLOY registry, comparable aerial robots to Shield AI V-BAT include Wing Delivery Aircraft, Skydio X10, Zipline Platform 2 (P2), Prime Air MK30.
How does Shield AI V-BAT compare to Wing Delivery Aircraft?
Shield AI V-BAT and Wing Delivery Aircraft (Wing · 35 deployments) are both aerial robots on the DEPLOY registry. Shield AI V-BAT has 9 verified deployments on record. Compare both records for specs, safety, deployments, and verified-vs-claimed autonomy.
Is Shield AI V-BAT a top aerial?
On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, safety, adoption, media, and IP signals, Shield AI V-BAT ranks in roughly the top 6% of aerial models tracked by the registry.
What is Shield AI V-BAT's maturity stage?
Shield AI V-BAT is at the production stage on the DEPLOY maturity ladder (research, prototype, pilot, commercial, production). Production stage means high-volume manufacture and commercial-scale deployments are sustained.
Is Shield AI V-BAT safe?
Shield AI V-BAT has 1 active incident on record in the DEPLOY registry. 1 incident on record (1 serious). Most recent: May 2026. Retracted incidents are excluded from this count.
How many combat sorties has the Shield AI V-BAT flown?
Shield AI has completed more than 130 V-BAT sorties in Ukraine in partnership with Ukrainian forces, operating in harsh electronic warfare (EW) environments. The V-BAT has helped identify Russian air defense positions including S-400 systems. It is a Group 3 VTOL ISR drone designed for GPS-denied autonomous flight.
Shield AI: 130 V-BAT sorties in Ukraine Shield AI: V-BAT
Methodology: Verified · 3 sources (3 primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-12

Verification posture

Verified

High confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-12

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: production

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: aerial

Sources by quality tier

3
primary-company-ir
Company IR disclosure

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

Methodology surface for Shield AI V-BAT.

Recent coverage

Shield AI V-BAT in third-party press

Shield AI and Taiwan's NCSIST complete autonomous swarm exercise and expand sovereign AI and Autonomy efforts

Aug 5, 2026

L3Harris and Shield AI complete autonomous electronic warfare flight test

Jul 16, 2026

New Pentagon unmanned czar will oversee most drone programs

Jul 1, 2026