Shield AI · VTOL Fixed Wing / Expeditionary ISR · USA · Digital Age (2010–present)
Open in interactive gallery →See aircraft like this on the live radar →The Shield AI V-BAT (designated MQ-35A in U.S. military service) is an American single-engine, vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) tail-sitter unmanned aerial vehicle developed by Shield AI. Initial deployment came in 2018, and the type has since been adopted by the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, and several allied operators, emerging as a leading new-generation U.S. short-range ISR UAV of the 2020s. Runway-free VTOL operation, 8+ hour endurance, and Shield AI's onboard autonomy stack make the V-BAT well-suited to U.S. Marine Corps Force Design 2030 distributed-operations concepts.
Airframe dimensions are 9 ft (2.7 m) long with a 9.7 ft (2.9 m) wingspan. Empty weight is 75 lb and maximum take-off weight 125 lb. A single turbine engine (~25 lbf thrust) drives a thrust-vectoring propeller. The aircraft launches and recovers vertically as a tail-sitter, then transitions to horizontal cruise — pairing helicopter-style VTOL with fixed-wing efficiency. Maximum speed is 100 mph (Mach 0.13), service ceiling 15,000 ft, mission endurance 8+ hours, and range 350+ nmi. Mission systems comprise an EO/IR turret, signals-intelligence collection, AI-driven autonomous flight control (Shield AI's signature technology), data-link, and modular payload bays.
Principal mission is shipboard and forward-base ISR, giving small ground or naval units persistent surveillance without runway or catapult infrastructure. The operating concept is straightforward: launch vertically from any flat surface — ground, ship deck, or vehicle — transition to horizontal cruise, conduct ISR, surveillance, or SIGINT tasking, and return to the launch point for vertical recovery. This is especially valuable for distributed maritime operations; Force Design 2030 emphasizes austere, dispersed basing rather than concentrated airfields. Shield AI's autonomy software allows the V-BAT to fly in GPS-degraded and contested environments, a defining feature for current Marine Corps deployment concepts.
The V-BAT has been continuously deployed since 2018. U.S. missions include Force Design 2030 exercises and deployments, U.S. Coast Guard taskings, and U.S. Special Operations Command missions worldwide. The MQ-35A designation was applied in 2023, formalising the platform's U.S. military identity. Foreign operators include Australia (Royal Australian Air Force), Singapore, and the United Kingdom, with further sales under negotiation. As of 2026, more than 150 V-BATs have been delivered globally; production continues at Shield AI's San Diego, California facility, with a programme target of 1,000+ airframes through 2030 if procurement decisions hold.
The Shield AI V-BAT is a small American drone with an unusual shape. It is a tail-sitter, meaning it sits on its tail when on the ground and takes off straight up like a rocket. Once in the air, the V-BAT tilts forward and flies like a normal airplane. To land, it goes vertical again.
The V-BAT is 8 feet long with a 9.8-foot wingspan. It weighs 125 pounds and has one engine driving a big propeller at the back. The motor uses gasoline, not battery, so the V-BAT can fly for over 8 hours straight. Top speed is 90 mph, faster than most cars on a highway.
The V-BAT carries cameras for watching the ground, plus radio gear for sending video back to operators. Some V-BAT versions also carry small weapons. The drone flies for hours, watching the battlefield from the sky. Soldiers can launch it from a small open space without needing a runway.
The American Marines have bought 70 V-BATs as part of their new MQ-35 program. Several other countries are also testing the V-BAT. Shield AI, the company that builds the V-BAT, was founded by Navy SEAL veterans in 2015.
A tail-sitter is an aircraft that sits on its tail when on the ground, pointing straight up. To take off, the engine spins up and the drone lifts straight up into the sky. Once high enough, the drone tips forward to fly normally. To land, it goes vertical again and settles back onto its tail. Tail-sitters can take off and land in very small spaces.
Gasoline gives much more energy per pound than batteries. A 125-pound gasoline V-BAT can fly for 8 hours; a battery-powered drone the same size would only fly for 1-2 hours. The downside is that V-BAT needs a gas station, where battery drones just need an outlet. For military missions where you need long flight times, gasoline wins.
The MQ-9 Reaper is huge: 36 feet long, 4,900 pounds, needs a runway. The V-BAT is tiny: 8 feet long, 125 pounds, no runway needed. The Reaper can fly farther, carry bigger weapons, and stay airborne longer. But the V-BAT can be launched from a ship or remote field in minutes, while the Reaper needs a long runway and a big ground crew.
Vertical Takeoff and Landing — the V-BAT lifts off and recovers vertically without runway or catapult infrastructure, then transitions to horizontal cruise for efficient long-endurance flight. The tail-sitter configuration means the aircraft sits on its tail before launch, rotates to horizontal after climbing to safe altitude, and pitches back to vertical for landing. This is the V-BAT's principal advantage over conventional fixed-wing UAVs, which typically require catapult launch and net or parachute recovery. VTOL eliminates infrastructure requirements; a flat surface roughly 10×10 ft is sufficient.
Hivemind, Shield AI's signature autonomous flight-control software. Hivemind enables: (1) flight in GPS-degraded and contested environments, critical where GPS jamming is expected; (2) cooperative multi-vehicle operations, with multiple V-BATs working together without continuous human supervision; (3) limited onboard decision-making, with the aircraft autonomously choosing flight paths and adjusting mission profiles based on real-time sensor input; and (4) reduced operator workload, allowing one operator to supervise several V-BATs at once. Hivemind is a primary driver of V-BAT adoption and a clear step beyond previous-generation manually-piloted UAV operations.
Different design choices. The Bell Eagle Eye is smaller, tilt-rotor, and shorter-legged. AeroVironment HARV-X and other tail-sitter UAVs use smaller airframes or different configurations. The V-BAT pairs a tail-sitter layout with 8+ hour endurance, optimised for the USMC distributed-operations role. Its combination of VTOL launch, long endurance, AI autonomy, and unit cost of roughly $300-500K USD per system has made it well-matched to current Marine Corps requirements, and it has emerged as the leading platform in a field of competing VTOL UAV concepts.
Typical mission endurance is 8+ hours. Cruise speed is around 60 mph and range exceeds 350 nmi. Eight hours is exceptional for a small VTOL UAV — many comparable platforms manage only 1-3 hours. Efficient cruise flight after VTOL transition combined with a modest fuel load enables sustained surveillance, and the V-BAT can fly multiple back-to-back missions per day from a single launch and recovery point with minimum maintenance turnaround.
The U.S. military designation for the V-BAT, applied in 2023. Formal designation enables integration with U.S. military doctrine, deployment concepts, and procurement processes. The 'MQ' prefix denotes multi-mission unmanned (ISR, surveillance, reconnaissance, and limited strike); '35A' is the sequential identifier, following MQ-25 Stingray, MQ-28 Ghost Bat, and others. The designation reflects U.S. military commitment to the V-BAT as a long-term frontline platform.