V‑BAT drones bolster Ukrainian defence amid warfare challenges
The American company Shield AI has announced that its team in Kyiv has conducted over 130 combat missions using V-BAT drones in Ukraine.
Shield AI, a defense company from the United States, stated that its team in Kyiv has successfully executed more than 130 combat missions with V-BAT drones in Ukraine. According to the portal Defense Express, these missions include both operator training and combat operations designed to increase readiness at the front lines before the anticipated spring campaign. The operations were carried out in cooperation with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Flights under electronic warfare conditions
Shield AI does not provide specific operational details but emphasizes that the flights were conducted under the challenging conditions of electronic warfare. This type of combat activity involves disrupting or blocking actions through electromagnetic emissions.
Ukrainian veterans support the missions, and the training for drone operators also occurs in Texas. James Lithgow, managing director of Shield AI, remarks that for weapon manufacturers, testing their solutions directly on the battlefield is essential.
In November of last year, it was disclosed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had secretly employed experimental V-BAT drones as part of tests for the United States. These drones operated deep behind Russian lines, where they located, among other things, a Buk missile system storage site, which was subsequently destroyed by a HIMARS strike.
Shield AI has shared data on the use of drones by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including the number of systems delivered. Lithgow underscores that for defense companies, building credibility no longer happens in laboratories but on the battlefield.
