Shield AI V-BAT

Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) Drone [ 2019 ]

Due to its unique Vertical Take-Off and Landing capability, the versatile V-BAT drone aircraft has a near-zero footprint.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 11/30/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image from the U.S. DoD DVIDS imagery database; Public Release.

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The Shield AI "V-BAT" is a tactical-level, Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) whose key quality is the in-built ability to take-off and land vertically as a helicopter while undertaking forward travel as a conventional fixed-wing aircraft. Its versatility is such that the system is marketed to civilian, industry, law enforcement, security services, and militaries worldwide and this sort of exposure places the UAV in a lead role where drug enforcement, maritime law enforcement, forest fire control, border enforcement / patrol, Search and Rescue (SAR), and humanitarian-minded sorties are the call of the day.

Its arrangement is largely conventional with a slim fuselage at center, straight monoplane wing assemblies positioned aft of midships, and a ducted tail fan at the rear. The powerplant is also situated at the rear of the design with an optics blister positioned at the nose in the "chin" position.

Transport of the 9-foot-lomng unit is through hardened containers that fit snuggly into a commercial flatbed pickup and deployment can be handled by a two-person team, the system made ready to fly in as little as twenty minutes. Hover-to-flight is less than fifteen seconds with hover time equaling 45 minutes depending on mission load out (payload capacity maxes at 25lb).

Operation of the unit is through a Ground Control Station (GCS) mimicking a hard-case laptop with complete digital interface. Due to its inherent modularity, the V-BAT can operate a variety of nose-mounted sensors and processing systems including Electro-Optical (EO), Infra-Red (IR), and Surface-Search systems offering 360-degree real-time mission assessments. Beyond ground-operator interaction, the V-BAT also showcases a certain level of autonomy.

At its tail-end, the 125lb (loaded) aircraft showcases a ducted-fan for maximum noise reduction while promoting ground-handling safety, all the while retaining performance and power. The system can take off in high winds and land with equal accuracy and the power in its configuration allows it to hover for a time and fly consistently for up to half-a-day. Accuracy is achieved through thrust-vectoring allowing the unit to land in a space as small as 12x12 feet. The aircraft can reach operating altitudes of 20,000 feet depending on payload configuration and environmental factors.

The V-BAT is proven over land and water (maritime settings), making it an ideal addition to surface ship warfare in the latter. In this way, the V-BAT has secured contracts with the United States Navy (USN) as well as United States Special Operations COMmand (SOCOM) as its vertical nature means the smallest possible footprint aboard space-strapped warships.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Shield AI (Martin UAV) / Northrop Grumman - United States
Manufacturer(s)

United States
Operators

2019
Service Year

United States
National Origin

Active
Project Status

0
(UNMANNED)
Crew

35
Units

MARITIME / NAVY
Land-based or shipborne capability for operating over-water in various maritime-related roles while supported by allied naval surface elements.

INTELLIGENCE-SURVEILLANCE-RECONNAISSANCE
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

UNMANNED
Aircraft inherently designed (or later developed) with an unmanned capability to cover a variety of over-battlefield roles.

9.0 ft
(2.74 meters)
Length

9.7 ft
(2.96 meters)
Width/Span

126 lb
(57 kilograms)
Maximum Take-Off Weight

monoplane / mid-mounted / straight
Mainplane Arrangement

Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represents the most popular modern mainplane arrangement.

Mid-Mounted
Mainplanes are mounted along the midway point of the sides of the fuselage.

Straight
The planform involves use of basic, straight mainplane members.

Propulsion

20,013 ft
(6,100 m | 4 miles)
Ceiling

None. Mission-specific equipment carried for the ISR role.

V-BAT - Base Series Name.

V-BAT 128

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