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A deal was signed by the Indian Army with Shield AI, an American defence technology company, to procure the V-BAT unmanned aerial system, which will be mass-produced in India.
Shield AI’s V-BAT is a Group 3 UAV that can take off and land vertically without runways or launch infrastructure. With a heavy-fuel engine, the aircraft has an air time of more than 12 hours and operates in environments with weak communications and GPS signals.
Under the agreement, Shield AI will offer V-BAT VToL drones, along with licenses to its exclusive autonomy software, Hivemind. The software will be integrated into the aircraft and made accessible to select Indian partners, allowing local expansion of autonomous military systems tailored to India’s operational requirements.
“India’s selection of V-BAT and Hivemind echoes a clear understanding of the kind of strong, expeditionary autonomy contemporary militaries now need,” Sarjan Shah, Shield AI’s MD for India, said in a statement. He added that the aircraft’s ability to operate without runways and deliver long-endurance intelligence made it well-suited to India’s varied geography.
The company has partnered with India’s JSW Defence, which, in December 2025, began construction of a manufacturing facility at EMC Maheshwaram, Hyderabad.
This USD 90 million investment will enable significant production of V-BATs in India to meet the requirements of the Indian Armed Forces and establish it as a global production hub.
Before India, the company signed a deal with the Japanese Navy on 22 January, calling the Japanese Navy “a significant ally in the Indo-Pacific region and critical in the regional deterrence efforts”.
From Ukraine to the Middle East
Shield AI is part of a new generation of US defence startups focused on AI and autonomy rather than traditional weapons manufacturing.
The company’s first product, a small autonomous quadcopter named Nova, was designed to enter buildings and tunnels ahead of soldiers to gather intelligence. While that system saw usage in West Asia, it was used in October 2023 by Israeli forces to explore Hamas’ tunnel network below the Gaza Strip.
The V-BAT has gained recognition, in part due to its performance in Ukraine. Shield AI spent much of 2024 integrating Hivemind into the aircraft. According to the company, V-BAT drones have conducted dozens of missions in Ukraine, helping recognize hundreds of targets. In 2025, the drones executed more than 35 missions and recognized over 200 Russian targets in the warzone.
The company now operates across the US, Europe, West Asia and the APAC and produces aircraft at a production site outside Dallas. The partnership with India marks an international expansion to date, combining foreign technology transfer with local manufacturing and software development.
The deal aligns with broader efforts to modernize its military and reduce dependence on imports, mainly in unmanned systems and AI, reshaping modern warfare.
Source: The Week
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