V-BAT drone supports U.S. Navy operations during UNITAS 2025 exercise
NewsOctober 22, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. Shield AI’s V-BAT uncrewed aerial system (UAS) supported intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations for U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and the U.S. 4th Fleet during the multinational maritime exercise UNITAS 2025, the company announced in a statement.
The exercise, held from September 15 to October 3, involved participants from 25 allied and partner nations operating across the Americas. According to the statement, V-BAT launched from USS Cooperstown (LCS 23) and provided ISR coverage throughout the event. The system transmitted both full-motion video and ViDAR wide-area search data to the Navy’s Minotaur Family of Services (MFoS), which integrates sensor feeds from multiple platforms to support a common operating picture across the joint force and coalition.
V-BAT’s vertical takeoff and landing capability, compact footprint, and sensor suite make it suited for shipborne ISR missions, the company says. The deployment was part of the Monitoring, Analysis, Reconnaissance, Logistics, Intelligence and Network Services (MARLINS) task order, awarded to prime contractor SMX in support of U.S. Southern Command.
