US defence technology firm Shield AI has rolled out new capabilities for its V-BAT unmanned air vehicle (UAV) as well as a new remote sensing capability.
The company has unveiled the “latest evolution” its V-BAT UAV that is better able to operate in Global Positioning System- and communications-denied environments.
Shield AI president Brendan Tseng says that militaries are replacing larger UAVs with smaller systems such as V-BAT, which are more cost effective and survivable.
“V-BAT is built for the full spectrum of drone missions – from deep-penetration ISR-T [intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting] where GPS and comms are jammed to border security, search and rescue, and drug interdiction,” he says.
The V-BAT can fly for 13h using JP-5 fuel and can launch and recover without assistance.
The company also recently announced that the V-BAT participated in an exercise at Fort Irwin, California, where it was able to defeat electronic warfare (EW) threats.
The work involved the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, which experimented with V-BAT for long-range air assaults.
The company says that the system is an effective way to provide IRS-T at the “tactical edge”.
The V-BAT mainly serves with the US Navy, but is also in use with other US services and international militaries.
In addition to progress with the V-BAT, the company has also introduced the ViDAR (Visual Detecting and Ranging) pod.
The company says that the system can replace radar, and use passive optical tracking to detect, classify, and track targets without emissions.
The system is designed for use by UAVs, helicopters, and fixed-wing aircraft.
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