The Polish Armament Agency has signed a contract for the acquisition of an unspecified number of V-BAT VTOL UAS developed by Shield AI, the company announced on 23 June.
The UAS are intended to support operations of the Polish Navy, providing vessel-based maritime domain awareness and ISR support. This added capability gives the Polish military a proven, low-cost, unmanned support system that improves commanders’ visibility of activity and threats.
A NATO Class I UAS, V-BAT features a ducted-fan design, endurance of over 12 hours and a heavy-fuel engine. Designed, tested, and deployed for contested EW environments, it delivers ISR and targeting capability at significantly lower cost and logistical burden than larger NATO Class II and III systems. Its single-engine, enclosed-rotor design enables safe, unassisted launch and recovery from ship decks, urban rooftops and austere environments, making it particularly effective for maritime and expeditionary operations.
“V-BAT has proven its capabilities in Ukraine and beyond, particularly in environments where communications and GPS links are disrupted or denied. Operations in the Baltic Sea, where security threats against critical energy and communications infrastructure are becoming more frequent, demand reliable sensor platforms and systems in all weather conditions and sea states. V-BAT delivers exactly that, and will serve as a force multiplier for Poland, Baltic Sea nations, and NATO,” said Ryan Tseng, President and Chief Strategy Officer at Shield AI
DA Comment
Selected by the US Navy, where it is designated the MQ-35A and as a contender for the US Army’s FTUAS competition in 2023, the V-BAT is in service with the US Coast Guard, the Hellenic Armed Forces, the Indian government and now the Polish Navy. Its robust nature and single-engine design make it particularly appropriate for maritime operations, a domain in which DA expects to see the company enjoy further success in the future.
Headline image show a V-BAT in a maritime context. (Shield AI)
