Shield AI wins $198 million contract to provide US Coast Guard with V-BAT Drones.

According to a PR published by Shield AI on July 1, 2024, the defense technology firm, has been awarded a $198,106,876 indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity firm fixed-price contract by the U.S. Coast Guard.
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The V-BAT vertical take-off and landing reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle. (Picture source: Shield AI)

The contract mandates Shield AI to provide Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) services using its V-BAT unmanned aircraft system (UAS) under a Contractor Owned Contractor Operated (COCO) model.

Brandon Tseng, Shield AI’s President, Co-founder, and former Navy SEAL, emphasized that the V-BAT's selection reflects a market shift towards affordable drones capable of completing a majority of mission sets, as opposed to more costly crewed or uncrewed aircraft.

The V-BAT aircraft is unique as the only single-engine ducted fan vertical takeoff and land (VTOL) UAS in operational deployment that can launch and recover from a hover and transition to horizontal flight.

With over five years of consistent operational use at sea, the V-BAT has proven to be a versatile platform capable of performing a range of UAS missions from Group 2 to Group 5 and beyond, attracting both U.S. and international clients.

Technical data

The V-BAT unmanned aircraft system measures 9 feet in length with a wingspan of 9.7 feet. It has a gross weight of 125 pounds. The aircraft is powered by a single Suter TOA 288 two-cylinder engine. It can achieve a maximum speed of 56 mph and has an endurance of 10 hours. The service ceiling of the V-BAT reaches up to 20,000 feet.