Military drones for the Polish Navy: Shield AI to deliver MQ-35A V-Bat

Poland is ordering military drones for its Navy from the US company Shield AI, namely several MQ-35A V-Bat unmanned aircraft systems. The contract is worth around 16 million US dollars (13.8 million euros); delivery is to take place before the end of the year.

Once integration is complete, the V-Bat drones will operate from ships of the Polish Navy. The focus is on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR); the system is also to protect critical infrastructure as well as important sea lanes and lines of communication.

How the military drones manage without a runway

Few drone systems in this class are, like the V-Bat, capable of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and designed specifically for shipborne use. The system therefore needs neither a runway nor a catapult; even small decks are sufficient for operations.

Shield AI particularly stresses that the drone remains operational even when GPS is jammed, electronic warfare is being conducted or communication links are only partially available. According to the company, the system has already proven resilient against Russian jamming in the war in Ukraine.

V-BAT has proven its capabilities in Ukraine and beyond, particularly in environments where communication and GPS links are disrupted or unavailable.— Ryan Tseng, President of Shield AI

Such capabilities are becoming more important, especially in the Baltic Sea: NATO states there face a growing number of hybrid threats targeting energy and communications infrastructure.

Several armed forces already use the V-Bat. Among others, the US Coast Guard has selected the system, and it has been tested on numerous ship classes of the US Navy. In recent years, Japan, the Netherlands and Romania have also opted for it. In 2025, the Dutch Armed Forces ordered an initial twelve systems to support maritime reconnaissance missions.