On Wednesday, January 28, 2026, the U.S. company Shield AI announced that it had signed a contract with India’s Ministry of Defence for the delivery of V-Bat vertical takeoff and landing uncrewed aerial vehicles. Under the contract, the value of which has not been disclosed, the Indian Army will receive an undisclosed number of aircraft along with a license for the AI-based Hivemind autonomous software designed to control the platform.
Photo: Shield AI
In addition to the acquisition of the uncrewed aircraft, the agreement includes licensing of the Hivemind autonomous software development kit (SDK). Hivemind will enable the V-Bat to autonomously detect, decide, and act, allowing it to adapt to dynamic environments, avoid threats, and execute missions without human intervention. The SDK will enable sovereign development, deployment, and evaluation of mission autonomy across multiple platforms and will also be made available to selected Shield AI partners in India for the development of autonomous solutions tailored to local operational requirements.
“Shield AI has been an early mover in investing deeply in India, forging strategic partnerships to bring sovereign defence capabilities to the nation in line with both governments’ shared vision for a closely integrated U.S.-India defense supply chain,” said Sarjan Shah, Shield AI’s managing director for India.
“India’s selection of V-BAT and Hivemind for the Indian Army reflects a clear understanding of the resilient, expeditionary autonomy required by modern militaries operating across India’s diverse environments. V-BAT’s ability to operate without runways, deliver long-endurance intelligence at the tactical edge, and perform in contested environments makes it uniquely suited to provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) from the Himalayas to India’s oceanic borders.”
This agreement builds on Shield AI’s ongoing commitment to supporting India’s national security and defense requirements. In December 2025, JSW Defense and Aerospace Pvt. Ltd began construction of its next-generation unmanned aerial systems (UAS) facility at EMC Maheshwaram in Hyderabad as part of a strategic partnership with Shield AI aimed at the local production of the V-Bat. The 90 million USD investment will enable serial production of the V-Bat in India, meeting the needs of the Indian armed forces while also supporting global export requirements.
The V-Bat is a vertical takeoff and landing uncrewed aerial vehicle. After takeoff, the UAV transitions to horizontal flight using a ducted pusher propeller mounted at the rear of the fuselage. It is operated by two personnel and can take off from a flat surface measuring 365 × 365 cm (12 × 12 feet). The UAV has a payload capacity of 11.34 kg (25 lb) and a maximum takeoff weight of 56.7 kg (125 lb). It is 274 cm (9 ft) long with a wingspan of 296 cm (9.7 ft). Power is provided by a two-cylinder Suter TOA 288 gasoline engine rated at 24 hp (17.6 kW), enabling a maximum speed of up to 167 km/h (90 kt), a service ceiling of 6,096 m (20,000 ft), 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 system has been ordered by the U.S. Navy, selected for Phase II of the U.S. Army’s Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems (FTUAS) program (in cooperation with Northrop Grumman), and introduced into service with the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Marine Corps (where it carries the U.S. military designation MQ-35A). It has also been selected by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, the Brazilian company VSK Tactical for security applications, the Indonesian Army, the Royal Netherlands Navy and Marine Corps, and, most recently, Greece. Shield AI also cooperates with Palantir Technologies on further development of the platform.
V-Bats have also been delivered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, where in October 2024 they were reportedly used in combat operations, designating targets such as batteries of the Russian Buk air defense system for Ukrainian M142 HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems. The UAVs were supplied to Ukraine at the manufacturer’s expense in order to test their resilience against electronic warfare measures.
Autonomy for India, made in India: Shield AI and the Indian Army
India has selected Shield AI to supply the @adgpi with V-BATs and Hivemind autonomy software to support the sovereign development, deployment, and evaluation of mission autonomy across platforms. This builds on our… pic.twitter.com/s6K4tCGGsi
— Shield AI (@shieldaitech) January 28, 2026
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