Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force Acquires V-BAT Drones
Shield AI announced Wednesday that Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force has ordered its V-BAT vertical landing and takeoff drones for use as its first ever shipborne aerial intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platform.
While the American corporation did not announce how many drones were being purchased in the first of what it says is a “planned multi-year stream of increasing V-BAT orders”, Shield AI president and cofounder Brandon Hseng told Axios that deliveries of the V-BATs ordered would begin “early” this year.
“They’re building out their forces again,” he told Axios. “You can’t be a $40 million drone in this day and age … because those things are vulnerable.”
In a separate press release by Shield AI, he said: “The JMSDF’s selection of V-BAT reflects their understanding of the future of warfare—where operational success requires blending high-cost assets with intelligent, affordable unmanned systems like V-BAT. Every U.S. and allied maritime vessel should be equipped with V-BAT to provide shipborne ISR capabilities wherever and whenever they are needed, and it’s fantastic to be making that vision a reality with JMSDF.”
The United States Navy and Marine Corps have operated the V-BAT off Navy ships for several years, using the drones as an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform and as an experimental platform for cargo delivery. The V-BAT has also seen operational use as an ISR platform in Ukraine, with Ukrainian-operated V-BATs reportedly able to continue operating in electronic warfare environments that disabled other drones.
In recent months, Shield AI has moved to form partnerships to ramp up its production of V-BATs, with a November deal with Indian defense company JSW Defence Pvt. Ltd. to create a production line in India, as well as a partnership with Palantir Technologies to use Palantir’s Warp Speed manufacturing operating system to further streamline the cost and speed of V-BAT production.