V-BAT (MQ-35)
Overview
A 165-pound tail-sitting drone that takes off and lands vertically from a small deck or a clearing, then flies horizontally for 12-plus hours at up to 18,000 feet on a single heavy-fuel engine. Hivemind runs onboard with visual odometry, so it keeps navigating when GPS and communications are jammed, which is why it has stayed useful in Ukraine where cheaper drones have not. Shield AI now advertises fully unassisted launch and land, a 40-pound payload, and deployment on nearly every class of US Navy ship plus all seven Marine Expeditionary Units. It is flown by five US services plus a widening list of allied navies and armies.
In serial production and operationally deployed; competing for up to $800M in Navy ISR task orders since April 2026. Poland's roughly $16M Navy order is still scheduled for delivery by the end of 2026. Taiwan's 280-aircraft budget remains a funded program, not a signed Shield AI contract.