Shield AI, the defense-tech company building the world’s best AI pilots and next-generation aircraft, today announced that Poland’s Armament Agency has signed a contract for the acquisition of V-BAT vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) intended to support Polish Navy operations.
Shield AI press release
The V-BAT force will be deployed aboard a Polish Navy vessel, providing maritime domain awareness and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) support. This added capability gives the Polish military a proven low-cost unmanned support system that improves commanders’ visibility of activity and threats.
“V-BAT has proven its capabilities in Ukraine and beyond, particularly in environments where communications and GPS links are disrupted or denied. Operations in the Baltic Sea, where security threats against critical energy and communications infrastructure are becoming more frequent, demand reliable sensor platforms and systems in all weather conditions and sea states. V-BAT delivers exactly that, and will serve as a force multiplier for Poland, Baltic Sea nations, and NATO,” said Ryan Tseng, Shield AI’s president, co-founder, and chief strategy officer.
V-BAT is a NATO Class I VTOL unmanned aerial system featuring a ducted-fan design, more than 12 hours of endurance, and a heavy-fuel engine. Designed, tested, and deployed for contested electronic warfare environments, V-BAT delivers ISR and targeting capability at significantly lower cost and logistical burden than larger NATO Class II and III systems. Its single-engine, enclosed-rotor design enables safe, unassisted launch and recovery from ship decks, urban rooftops, and austere environments, making it particularly effective for maritime and expeditionary operations.
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Naval News comments:
The Polish Navy is joining other operators in Europe, including Greece and the Netherlands, as well as the US Navy and Japan Maritime Self Defence Force.
