Brazil orders V-Bat
Rendering of V-Bat 128 flying over the Amazon. (Image: Shield AI)
Demonstrations will be held this year of the V-Bat 128 for the Brazilian Army and Brazilian Navy.
Brazil is to receive an undisclosed number of V-Bat 128 UAVs for border surveillance, security and environmental monitoring missions, manufacturer Shield AI (formerly Martin UAV) confirmed on 7 February.
The UAVs are being provided by Brazilian company VSK Tactical via a reseller and facilitator (Contingent Global).
The contract was signed at Shield AI’s V-Bat manufacturing facility in Dallas, Texas on 21 January. Shield AI and VSK Tactical expect to complete V-Bat demonstrations later in 2022 on land and sea for the Brazilian Army and Brazilian Navy.
The long-endurance (11h) V-Bat 128 is powered by a single ducted thrust-vectored fan. It is a VTOL rotary-wing platform that rotates and operates as a fixed-wing aircraft when airborne.
Shield AI noted that the UAV can be transported via pickup truck or inside a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, ‘significantly reducing the total cost of capability’.
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