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Buying guide

Bayraktar TB2 vs Shield AI V-BAT in 2026

Comparing 2 humanoid robots across availability, pricing, capabilities, and verified deployments. Current as of 2026.

Key differences

On DEPLOY's record, Bayraktar TB2 has more verified real-world deployments (4 versus 3) than Shield AI V-BAT as of 2026; DEPLOY counts a deployment only when confirmed at a named site with a primary source.

  • Shield AI V-BAT has more capabilities independently verified as autonomous (1 vs 0).
  • Bayraktar TB2 has more verified real-world deployments (4 vs 3).
Attribute
BAYRAKTAR TB2: Turkish drone steals spotlight
Bayraktar TB2View full model page →
Shield AI V-BAT (Shield AI). Image by U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Moises Sandoval, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (English Wikipedia lead image, Wikidata Q123253322). Re-hosted on the DEPLOY blob store from the Commons original.
Shield AI V-BATView full model page →
ManufacturerBaykarShield AI
Form factoraerialaerial
Maturityproductionproduction
Autonomy—✓ 1 verified autonomous
Availabilityinternal-onlyenterpriseinternal-onlyenterprise
Price$2,000,000-$5,000,000 (actual sale price)Not announced
Capability claims—
  • flight in GPS- and communications-denied environments (autonomous, verified)
  • Multi-drone autonomous team operations (autonomous, demonstrated-once)
Brain—
Verified deployments43
Privacy practices——
Sources on file1314

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Bayraktar TB2

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Shield AI V-BAT

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Editorial summaries

Bayraktar TB2

The Bayraktar TB2, from Turkey's Baykar, is the internationally fielded legacy-prime armed UAV and a remotely-piloted, AI-augmented-not-autonomous platform. It is a medium-altitude armed drone with 20-plus hours of endurance, a 25,000-foot ceiling, a 150-kilogram payload, and Roketsan MAM laser-guided munitions, with triple-redundant flight control that automates taxi, takeoff, cruise, and landing while the mission itself remains operator-supervised.

It is widely exported and combat-proven (Ukraine, Nagorno-Karabakh, the Libyan civil war, and others). The verified-vs-claimed nuance: Baykar's newer products (the Akinci HALE UCAV and the jet-powered Kizilelma) move toward greater autonomy, but the TB2 specifically is remotely-piloted, with a human operator supervising targeting and strike decisions.

It is defense procurement; there is no consumer price. Specific export-country counts and engagement claims vary by source and defer to primary disclosures.

Shield AI V-BAT

Shield AI's V-BAT (military designation MQ-35) is a Group 3 VTOL fixed-wing ISR and targeting drone that takes off and lands vertically from a small footprint, powered by the Hivemind autonomy stack and built to operate in GPS- and communications-denied environments. Its autonomy is verified-substantive: Hivemind is genuine fielded onboard autonomy, and V-BAT is the new-defense cohort's strongest deployment anchor with two verified deployments on the registry (the US Coast Guard and Ukraine).

The Block upgrade adds SATCOM and a heavy-fuel engine. Shield AI, founded in San Diego in 2015, sells V-BAT as defense procurement equipment on contract; there is no consumer price.

Common questions

How do Bayraktar TB2 and Shield AI V-BAT differ?
On DEPLOY's record, Bayraktar TB2 has more verified real-world deployments (4 versus 3) than Shield AI V-BAT as of 2026; DEPLOY counts a deployment only when confirmed at a named site with a primary source. Shield AI V-BAT has more capabilities independently verified as autonomous (1 vs 0). Bayraktar TB2 has more verified real-world deployments (4 vs 3).
What is the difference between Bayraktar TB2 and Shield AI V-BAT?
Bayraktar TB2 and Shield AI V-BAT are both aerial robots on the DEPLOY registry. They differ in maker, maturity, price, verified deployments, and how much of their autonomy is independently verified. See the table above for the full head-to-head; each figure is sourced.
Is Bayraktar TB2 or Shield AI V-BAT more autonomous?
Shield AI V-BAT has more capabilities independently verified as autonomous on the DEPLOY registry than Bayraktar TB2. DEPLOY counts a capability as autonomous only when verified at a real deployment, not from a demo or a vendor claim.
Which has more verified deployments, Bayraktar TB2 or Shield AI V-BAT?
Bayraktar TB2 has more verified deployments (4) on the DEPLOY registry than Shield AI V-BAT (3). DEPLOY counts a deployment only when confirmed at a named site with a primary source.

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All dronesRegistry Every verified record in the category.Bayraktar TB2Model The full model page.Shield AI V-BATModel The full model page.BaykarRecord The maker's verified record.Shield AIRecord The maker's verified record.Shield AI HivemindBrain The AI system behind it.

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