The US Coast Guard has successfully wrapped up operational testing of the V-BAT unmanned aerial system (UAS), marking a key step toward its integration across the cutter fleet.
The testing, conducted by the Coast Guard’s Research and Development Center, verified that the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone met performance standards without any critical flaws.
California-based Shield AI was awarded the contract for the V-BAT platform and its full lifecycle support in July 2024.
The service cited the drone’s compact footprint as ideal for smaller cutter flight decks and flexible deployment configurations.
Once fielded, the V-BAT will perform persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations.
