V-BAT sits in DEPLOY's new-defense cohort with Anduril Ghost-X and Helsing HX-2: Western AI-first builders whose autonomy is verified-fielded, contrasted with remotely-piloted legacy platforms (General Atomics MQ-9, Bayraktar TB2).
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V-BAT carries the cohort's strongest deployment anchor: two verified deployments on the DEPLOY registry, the US Coast Guard and Ukraine, on the Hivemind autonomy stack.
Price
No reviewed price is on record. We do not treat unverified analyst estimates as pricing data. There is no consumer price. V-BAT is defense procurement equipment sold to militaries on contract, so DEPLOY records zero price points rather than a consumer figure.
Availability
Internal use only
V-BAT is sold to defense customers, not consumers. It has two verified deployments on the DEPLOY registry: the US Coast Guard and Ukraine, the strongest deployment anchor in the new-defense drone cohort.
Real-world status
V-BAT (military designation MQ-35) is a production-maturity, verified-autonomous Group 3 VTOL fixed-wing ISR and targeting drone from Shield AI (San Diego, founded 2015). It takes off and lands vertically from a small footprint, runs the Hivemind autonomy stack, and is built to operate in GPS- and communications-denied environments. Its autonomy is verified-substantive (genuine fielded onboard autonomy), and it carries the cohort's strongest deployment anchor: two verified deployments on the registry, the US Coast Guard and Ukraine. The Block upgrade adds SATCOM and a heavy-fuel engine. V-BAT Teams is a multi-aircraft capability, not a separate model.
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The Hivemind autonomy is the substance behind the label: built to operate in GPS- and communications-denied environments, which is the operational test that separates verified autonomy from a remotely-piloted drone with AI-assist features.
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There is no consumer price. V-BAT is defense procurement equipment sold on contract, so DEPLOY records zero price points.
New-defense drones: V-BAT vs Ghost-X vs HX-2
Shield AI V-BAT
Anduril Ghost-X
Helsing HX-2
Maturity
Production
🟢verified
Production
🟢verified
Production
🟢verified
Autonomy stack
Hivemind
🟢verified
Lattice
🟢verified
Onboard EW-resistant AI
🟢verified
Role
VTOL ISR (Group 3)
🟢verified
VTOL ISR small UAS
🟢verified
Strike / loitering munition
🟢verified
Verified anchor
2 deployments (USCG, Ukraine)
🟢verified
$14.4M Army IDIQ + Replicator
🟢verified
1,950 HF-1 delivered (Ukraine)
🟢verified
Cap-flagged
None
🟢verified
None
🟢verified
6,000 HX-2 ordered, not delivered
🟡stated
Origin
Shield AI (US)
🟢verified
Anduril (US)
🟢verified
Helsing (Germany)
🟢verified
Sources: Shield AI, US Army / DIU, Helsing, DEPLOY registry
Frequently Asked Questions
Is V-BAT autonomous or remotely piloted?
Verified-autonomous🟢verified: it runs Shield AI's Hivemind with genuine fielded onboard autonomy, built for GPS- and communications-denied environments, not a remotely-piloted platform with AI-assist marketing.
Can I buy a Shield AI V-BAT?
No⊘absence. It is defense procurement equipment sold to militaries on contract; there is no consumer price.
Where is V-BAT deployed?
Two verified deployments on the DEPLOY registry🟢verified: the US Coast Guard and Ukraine, the strongest deployment anchor in the new-defense drone cohort.
What is the MQ-35?
MQ-35 is V-BAT's US military designation🟢verified. V-BAT Teams is a multi-aircraft capability built on V-BAT, not a separate model.
How does V-BAT compare to Ghost-X and HX-2?
All three are production-maturity, verified-autonomous new-defense drones🟢verified; V-BAT is the Group 3 VTOL ISR drone (Hivemind), Anduril Ghost-X is a smaller VTOL ISR drone (Lattice), and Helsing HX-2 is a strike munition.
Pricing and availability are tagged verified or claimed against primary sources. Manufacturer targets are reported as targets, not prices you can pay today.