Shield AI to Produce V-BAT Drones in India
American firm Shield AI has partnered with JSW Defence, a subsidiary of India’s JSW Group, to locally produce the V-BAT drone for the Indian Armed Forces.
Under the agreement, JSW Group will invest $90 million over two years, with $65 million allocated in the first year. The investment will focus on establishing a manufacturing facility, workforce training, and developing a local supply chain.
In addition to producing the V-BAT systems, the facility will provide flight operator training, end-to-end maintenance, and repair services.
Parth Jindal, Managing Director of JSW Group, highlighted that the program is part of Indian efforts to boost national defense production and technology development.
Shield AI President Brandon Tseng said the company is “excited to enhance the Indo-US strategic partnership through collaboration with JSW Group, strengthening our commitment to deploy cutting-edge UAS technology globally and harness India’s vast engineering and manufacturing talent.”