Shield AI MQ-35 V-BAT
A VTOL tailsitter UAV used for ISR and targeting in contested environments.
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The MQ-35A V-BAT is an American Group 3 vertical take-off and landing drone built by Martin UAV, now called Shield AI. Its tailsitter design uses a single ducted fan, letting it launch and recover from ships or tight land spots without a runway. The aircraft handles intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting missions. It has seen operational use in the Black Sea, the Caribbean, and the Middle East.
Frontex
In Ukraine, V-BATs have flown under Russian electronic warfare conditions, collecting and relaying targeting data for artillery strikes. The drone has been adopted by military and maritime groups across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. At sea, it has operated from U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels, and in 2026 it took part in a Frontex and Italian Coast Guard trial aboard the patrol ship Dattilo in the central Mediterranean.
Design and capabilities
The V-BAT’s ducted fan lets it hover and transition to horizontal flight, and its Hivemind autonomy software includes visual odometry for GPS- and communication-denied environments. In October 2023, Shield AI announced swarming capabilities using Hivemind for multi-vehicle coordination. The April 2025 Block 5.3 upgrade swapped the gasoline engine for a 33-horsepower heavy-fuel model compatible with JP-5, raising maximum payload from 25 to 40 pounds. Larger fuel tanks, satellite communications, and unassisted vertical takeoff and landing were added, with Shield AI claiming 12 hours of endurance.
United States
In 2021, the U.S. Navy contracted Shield AI to prototype the V-BAT. On 21 December 2022, a V-BAT and a Skyways V2.6B made the first unmanned cargo deliveries to a Navy ship at sea, each carrying 22.5 kg over 200 nautical miles. In March 2023, the U.S. Army selected the V-BAT for its Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System competition to replace the RQ-7B Shadow, with Shield AI teaming with Northrop Grumman. In July 2024, the Coast Guard awarded a $198 million contract for V-BAT maritime ISR services.
The drone has also deployed with Marine expeditionary units. In December 2024, Shield AI and Palantir Technologies deepened their partnership, using Palantir’s Warp Speed for V-BAT manufacturing. The V-BAT later made the Defense Contract Management Agency’s Blue UAS Cleared List.
Brazil
In February 2022, Brazilian firm VSK Tactical ordered an undisclosed number of V-BATs for security and monitoring.
Background
The V-BAT's single-engine ducted fan enables it to take off and land vertically in confined spaces and to shift from hover to horizontal flight. Its autonomous software, branded as Shield AI’s Hivemind, includes visual odometry navigation capabilities for operating in GPS and communication denied environments. Its compact design and ability to hover makes it suitable for shipboard operations and confined land areas. In October 2023, Shield AI announced that the V-BAT had achieved drone-swarming capabilities, using Hivemind AI to enable multi-vehicle coordination and distributed autonomous operations.
In April 2025, Shield AI introduced the V-BAT Block 5.3 upgrade, which replaced the earlier gasoline engine with a 33-horsepower heavy-fuel engine compatible with JP-5. The new powerplant increased the aircraft’s maximum payload from 25 to 40 pounds (11.3 to 18.1 kilograms) and improved compatibility with naval and expeditionary fuel systems. The upgrade also incorporated larger fuel tanks, satellite communications, and unassisted vertical takeoff and landing. Shield AI states that the configuration can achieve 12 hours of endurance.
In Ukraine, V-BATs have operated under Russian electronic warfare (EW) conditions and have been used to collect and relay targeting data for artillery strikes. The aircraft has been adopted by military and maritime organizations in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Its maritime use includes operations from United States Navy and Coast Guard vessels and a 2026 Frontex and Italian Coast Guard trial from the patrol vessel Dattilo in the central Mediterranean. In April 2024, a V-BAT partially severed three fingers of a US Navy sailor who was helping it to land.
Accidents and incidents
Following this incident, US military customers imposed restrictions on its flight, while they investigated this matter for several months. Later, Shield AI modified the V-BAT so that it no longer required human assistance to launch and land. In June 2026, Reuters reported that 50 of 200 upgraded V-BATs operated by Shield AI had been destroyed in accidents.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Shield AI MQ-35 V-BAT (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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