Artificial intelligence (AI) company Shield AI says it has signed a contract with Brazilian company VSK Tactical to provide Brazil with V-BAT 128 unmanned aircraft systems.
The contract was signed at the V-BAT manufacturing facility in Dallas, Texas on Jan. 21. Later this year, Shield AI and VSK Tactical will complete V-BAT demonstrations on land and sea in Brazil for the Brazilian Army and Navy.
California-based Shield AI announced the contract after acquiring Martin UAV, the developer of the V-BAT vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft, in July 2021.
Propelled by a single, ducted, thrust-vectored fan, V-BAT takes off and lands vertically. As noted by Shield AI, the system’s fully operational logistical footprint fits into the bed of a pickup truck or inside a Blackhawk helicopter, significantly reducing the total cost of capability.
With a payload of 30 lbs (13,6 kg), the V-BAT has an endurance of 10 hours and can support a range of interchangeable and customizable payloads and sensors, such as EO/MWIR cameras, AIS, and land/maritime wide area search (WAS) AI-based capabilities.
“We love supporting partners and allies like Brazil, we aim to make them proud! Personally, I’m pumped up about the utilization of V-BAT 128 for applications ranging from counter-narcotics, maritime security, and oil rig and pipeline monitoring to rainforest security and management. Our terrific partners, VSK Tactical and Contingent Global, share our aim to make Brazil proud, and to help provide game-changing value for our end users. This is only the beginning!” said Brandon Tseng, former US Navy SEAL and cofounder of Shield AI.
“VSK believes that V-BAT is the perfect platform that can monitor and provide surveillance of extensive areas of Brazilian borders, with dense areas of forests, numerous areas of aquatic spaces such as lakes, lagoons, rivers, beaches, littoral and coastal regions, as well as assisting Homeland Security to carry on its duties and Public Security Plans,” Vinicius Bocaiuva, CEO of VSK, added.
