On Monday and Tuesday, February 9–10, 2026, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance paid an official visit to Armenia. On that occasion, the state news agency Armenpress reported that the country had purchased V-Bat vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles from the American company Shield AI, presenting one of the units.
Photos: Ararat Petrosyan via X
“We have made significant progress in the Armenia–U.S. military and defense partnership. As part of our long-term bilateral security cooperation and the Eagle Partner military exercises, which have been conducted for three consecutive years, Armenia has acquired V-BAT unmanned aerial vehicles from the United States,” the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.
He noted that the effectiveness of these systems has been proven through extensive operational use and expressed hope that their acquisition would significantly strengthen Armenia’s defense capabilities.
The Prime Minister also voiced hope that the transaction would be carried out by the United States under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program and would serve as a foundation for expanding bilateral cooperation in the future.
Meanwhile, Vice President J.D. Vance announced at a press conference that the United States had approved the sale of reconnaissance drones to Armenia worth 11 million USD. Representatives of Shield AI took part in the system presentation.
The V-Bat is a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle. After liftoff, the UAV transitions to horizontal flight using a ducted pusher propeller mounted at the rear of the fuselage. It is operated by a two-person crew and can launch from a flat surface measuring 12 × 12 feet (365 × 365 cm). The UAV has a payload capacity of 25 pounds (11.34 kg) and a maximum takeoff weight of 125 pounds (56.7 kg). It measures 9 feet (274 cm) in length, with a wingspan of 9.7 feet (296 cm). The aircraft is powered by a two-cylinder Suter TOA 288 gasoline engine rated at 24 horsepower (17.6 kW), enabling a maximum speed of up to 90 knots (167 km/h), an operational ceiling of up to 20,000 feet (6,096 m), and an endurance of up to 11 hours.
The V-Bat was originally developed by Martin UAV, which was acquired by Shield AI in 2021. The UAVs have been ordered by the U.S. Navy and selected for the second phase of the Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems (FTUAS) program in the U.S. Army (in cooperation with Northrop Grumman). They have also entered service with the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Marine Corps (U.S. military designation: MQ-35A), and have been selected by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Brazil’s VSK Tactical for security applications, the Indonesian Army, and the Royal Netherlands Navy and Marine Corps, as well as more recently by Greece and India. Shield AI is also cooperating with Palantir Technologies to further develop the platform.
V-Bat systems have also been delivered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, where in October 2024 they were reportedly used in combat operations, identifying targets such as batteries of Russia’s Buk surface-to-air missile system for Ukrainian M142 HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems. The UAVs were supplied to Ukraine at the manufacturer’s expense to test their resilience against electronic warfare (EW) measures. The aircraft use Shield AI’s autonomous Hivemind software.
Armenia selects V-BAT in its first-ever foreign military sale
Our team joined U.S. Vice President @JDVance and Prime Minister @NikolPashinyan this week in Armenia to mark a milestone: Armenia’s first foreign military sale, selecting V-BAT to support intelligence, surveillance,… pic.twitter.com/ZFwi1VQ4j2
— Shield AI (@shieldaitech) February 11, 2026