Indian Army V-BAT Drones: The Indian Army has made a new deal with a US defence company called Shield AI. Under this agreement, the Army will get V-BAT unmanned drones and special AI software called Hivemind. These drones can fly without a runway and can work on their own with very little human control.
Indian Army V-BAT Drones: Features
The V-BAT drones are built to work in tough places. They can take off and land straight up and down, so they do not need big airstrips. They can fly for more than 12 hours at one time and can be used from rooftops, ship decks or small forward bases. Because of this, they are useful in mountains, deserts and coastal regions. The Army can use them to gather information, watch enemy movement and stay alert in dangerous zones.
How Hivemind software makes Drones Better?
A very important part of this deal is the Hivemind autonomy software. This software helps drones to think and act on their own. It allows them to sense what is around them, make quick decisions and keep flying even if signals are weak This is very important for India as enemies may try to block GPS or communication systems during conflicts. With Hivemind, drones can still finish their missions even when human operators lose contact.
Talking about the deal, Sarjan Shah, Shield AI’s managing director for India, said, “India’s selection of V-BAT and Hivemind reflects a clear understanding of the kind of resilient, expeditionary autonomy modern militaries now require.” He also said the system can work well “from the Himalayas to coastal regions”.
Battle-tested Tech
Shield AI’s drones and software have already been used in real wars. In Ukraine, V-BAT drones flew in areas where heavy electronic jamming was used. After adding Hivemind, the drones were able to find enemy air defence systems and command centres. In 2025 alone, the company says the drones flew more than 35 missions and spotted over 200 targets.
This deal also supports India’s goal of making defence equipment at home. Shield AI has teamed up with JSW Defence to build a factory in Hyderabad with a $90 million investment.
