Shield AI is a United States-based defense technology company specializing in the development of advanced autonomous systems and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The company, founded in 2015focuses on the development of AI tools that help military forces carry out complex operations with greater safety and effectiveness. Its most notable product is V-BATa vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drone used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions and targeting operations. The company has announced that the V-BAT has demonstrated its ability to counteract the measures of electronic warfare of Russian forces in Ukraine.
Shield AI points out in a publication on its website that, in 2024, the V-BAT has exceeded 23 deploymentsincluding operations in Ukraine, by offering ‘Group 5 capacity at Group 3 costs’in reference to the five groups in which the United States Department of Defense classifies UAVs, according to characteristics such as weight, operating altitude and speed. The drone is helping various countries and armies to carry out operations of the types mentioned all over the world. This includes its use in the Caribbean Sea for anti-drug operations.
‘In Ukraine, the V-BAT demonstrated resilience against electronic warfaredemonstrating its autonomous capability in the most difficult conditions and completing the first successful long-duration ISR and targeting mission, while communications and GPS were blocked‘, says the company.
One of the first images of a US-supplied Shield AI MQ-35A V-BAT UAV in operational Ukrainian service.
The V-BAT has reportedly completed its first long-endurance autonomous reconnaissance mission with GPS and communications jammed over the Ukrainian front. pic.twitter.com/XPNhK6MM9T
—OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) January 12, 2025
Electronic warfare is used against unmanned aerial vehicles as a countermeasure to locate them, interfere with their operation and neutralize them. The widespread use of unmanned aerial systems in Ukraine has also led to the development of unmanned aerial systems and drones that can operate despite enemy interference with their systems and communications.
Hivemind AI, an artificial hive mind
V-BAT’s resistance to electronic warfare is supported by Hivemind AIthe company’s software that allows multiple drones coordinate and collaborate on complex missionsas successfully demonstrated in September 2023.
On that occasion, three V-BATs worked autonomously in a simulated scenario in which they had to detect, identify, locate and report forest fires. The drones completed the task without relying on GPS or communications, demonstrating their potential in both the civil and military spheres. Shield AI claims that This feature has been implemented in real situations during the war in ukraine.

The company now aims to improve the autonomous capability of V-BATs to the point where a single operator can operate up to 10 drones simultaneously. ‘Autonomy in defense must reduce the operator’s workload, allowing UAS independently manage tasks such as patrolling, loss of communication and route changes. The V-BAT can make rapid adjustments on the battlefield, allowing operators to focus on mission-critical decisions rather than routine checks,’ notes Shield AI. Calculations of the algorithms to operate autonomously of the V-BAT drone They are carried out entirely on board.
The V-BAT drone measures 2.74 meters in length and has a wingspan of 2.96 meterswith a payload capacity of 11.3kg. Its total weight (fuel + payload) can reach 56.7kg during a mission. It has a flight ceiling of 6,096 meters and an autonomy of more than 10 hours, which may vary depending on the load and configurations of the aircraft.