Shield AI's V-BAT drones can now evolve autonomously in the form of a swarm and continue their mission by adapting to detected threats or requirements.
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With its skyward-pointing tube and two large wings placed on a motorized mount at the bottom, Shield AI's V-Bat looks fun. A prototype of this drone was tested by the US Navy in Florida this summer. The aircraft is capable of taking off and landing vertically from a ship and then moving horizontally. Placing a drone on a ship remains a delicate process, especially with military equipment that weighs much more than civilian drones, but that is not the only quality of the V-BAT, which is now in mass production. The drone has a range of 560 kilometers for 10 hours of autonomy and a maximum speed of 165 km/h. Its maximum height is 4,500 meters.
This is not a lurking munition, but a surveillance drone. It can carry 8 kilos of payload and have sensors and communication systems. It can also be equipped with an electronic jamming system. The advantage of the V-Bat's special architecture is that it can be easily stored on a ship. Plus, it only takes five minutes to assemble and send its flight data for an autonomous mission. But the big news, among its other abilities, is that the plane can now evolve into a swarm form thanks to the Hivemind AI.
Thanks to the integrated AI, the drone can carry out its missions autonomously in packs. © Shield AI
A swarm of autonomous drones
Managed by an Nvidia processor, Hivemind AI is directly connected to the V-BAT autopilot. The operator can instruct the drone to perform a specific task, such as searching an area for a target. Without the need for GPS, the drone's cognitive engine then uses the mapping and data from its sensors to develop the best mission plan to complete that mission. Better yet, this work can be done in coordination with multiple V-BATs.
With this AI, drones can continue to fly in very degraded and confusing conditions and carry out their mission autonomously in groups. A large swarm of drones can then be deployed to deter the enemy, saturating and exhausting their defenses by firing expensive missiles before a real wave of air strikes occurs.
Currently, the goal for 2024 is to deploy a group of four V-BATs to ultimately double this number. The drone's characteristics meet the specifications of the American Army's Replicator program. Given the threat of an invasion of Taiwan by Chinese forces, the key is to have a significant amount of drones that can operate in swarms.