V-BAT Drones, Secretly Tested in Ukraine, Set to Be Manufactured in India: Current Status of the Project.
V-BAT drones, developed by the American company Shield AI, can carry up to 11 kg of payload, stay airborne for 10 hours, and use AI to detect and recognize targets.
Earlier this year, Ukraine's Defense Forces reportedly deployed experimental V-BAT drones in combat. Shield AI's CEO, Brandon Tseng, revealed that Ukrainian forces received these drones in June to evaluate their performance against russian electronic warfare systems.
Recently, the Indian company JSW Group announced a joint venture with Shield AI to establish domestic production of V-BAT drones. India plans to invest approximately $90 million into the project over two years. This funding will cover the construction of a manufacturing facility, employee training, and related infrastructure. Most of the investment, about $65 million, is set to be allocated within the first year.