American firm Shield AI has partnered with JSW Defence, a subsidiary of India’s JSW Group, to locally produce the V-BAT drone for the Indian Armed Forces.
Under the agreement, JSW Group will invest $90 million over two years, with $65 million allocated in the first year. The investment will focus on establishing a manufacturing facility, workforce training, and developing a local supply chain.
In addition to producing the V-BAT systems, the facility will provide flight operator training, end-to-end maintenance, and repair services.
Parth Jindal, Managing Director of JSW Group, highlighted that the program is part of Indian efforts to boost national defense production and technology development.
Shield AI President Brandon Tseng said the company is “excited to enhance the Indo-US strategic partnership through collaboration with JSW Group, strengthening our commitment to deploy cutting-edge UAS technology globally and harness India’s vast engineering and manufacturing talent.”
Features
The V-BAT is a fixed-wing drone with vertical take-off and landing capabilities, specifically designed for long-endurance intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.
It supports a wide range of operations, including those carried out by special forces, front-line infantry, armored units, and artillery.
Equipped with a ducted fan, the V-BAT can sustain continuous flight for up to 12 hours.
The V-BAT’s compact design enables swift and straightforward deployment, requiring just a two-person team to assemble and launch.
The entire process, from unpacking to airborne, takes less than 20 minutes, with the system seamlessly transitioning from hover to forward flight in 15 seconds.