Online Photo Suggests US High-Tech Drone Completes First Mission in Ukraine

As early as June last year, there were rumors that the US manufacturer Shield AI had deployed its latest high-tech product, the V-BAT MQ-35A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), to Ukraine for real-life testing under combat conditions.

In October, the US military issues website Defense One cited Shield AI CEO Brandon Tseng as saying that, during one test mission, the V-BAT had actually located a Russian BUK-M1 9K37 (NATO: SA-11 Gadfly) surface to air missile system and called in a HIMARS strike which destroyed it.

The Shield AI end of year online “newsletter” posted a photo of the “trials team” working in Ukraine along with their V-BAT, saying: “In Ukraine, V-BAT demonstrated resilience against electronic warfare, showcasing autonomy in the toughest conditions and completing the first successful long-endurance, long-duration ISR [intelligence, surveillance ad reconnaissance] and targeting mission while GPS and comms were jammed.”

The V-BAT MQ-35A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Photo: Shield AI

V-BAT is a technologically advanced VTOL drone. Its single ducted fan engine allows it to launch from an area as small as 4 meters by 4 meters (13 feet by 13 feet) or the deck of a ship.

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The V-BAT weighs 56.5 kilograms (124 pounds) which includes an 11-kilogram (24.2-pounds) payload and a flight endurance of around 10 hours. It is designed primarily as a reconnaissance drone engineered to resist high levels of electronic warfare interference.

It is equipped with a sophisticated suite of sensors including high resolution electro-optical/infrared [EO/IR] full-motion video camera system to allow real-time monitoring and target acquisition and a laser designator to identify targets for attack by ground or air forces.

Another unique aspect is the autonomous capability and integration with Shield AI’s advanced artificial intelligence (AI) software, which allows the possibility of independent navigation and mission execution including obstacle avoidance, route planning, and mid-mission re-tasking.

According to Shield AI, the V-BAT had carried out more than 20 deployments in 2024 with military forces from several allied nations conducting ISR and targeting missions with V-BAT.