NATO Orders More V-BAT Drones for Hellenic Army and Navy

by · Greek City Times

The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has ordered additional V-BAT drones for the Hellenic Army and the Hellenic Navy, US defence technology company Shield AI said, in a contract that also covers spare parts, training, ground support equipment and long-term in-service support.

Shield announced the order on Wednesday, describing it as a significant expansion of a capability already in Hellenic service for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations on land and at sea. The company did not disclose how many aircraft were ordered, the value of the contract or when the systems would be delivered.

“An order for additional V-BATs represents a major expansion of Greece’s persistent ISR capacity and a strong vote of confidence in an aircraft already operating in Hellenic service,” said James Lythgoe, Shield’s regional director for Eastern and Southeast Europe.

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“A common fleet across the Hellenic Armed Forces means shared training, logistics and operational experience, while NSPA provides a streamlined way to acquire the aircraft and keep them ready throughout their service lives. V-BAT is exceptionally well suited to the Aegean, where forces need long-endurance ISR from islands, coastlines, ships and austere sites without dependence on runways.”

The contract was awarded by NSPA under its UAS Support Partnership, a framework that lets participating NATO nations buy and sustain uncrewed aerial systems through their full service life. Shield said the agency can shorten contracting times and offer shared logistics and economies of scale by pooling national requirements, while countries retain ownership and control of their aircraft. NSPA’s Alliance Ground Surveillance and UAS Programme covers acquisition, spares, maintenance, training, upgrades and technical assistance.

The first V-BAT systems entered Hellenic Army service on 14 May 2025, after a donation by the Athanasios K. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation. According to Naval News, that gift comprised two systems and four aircraft, valued at €5.75 million. In June, Shield announced a follow-on procurement agreement with the Hellenic Army, and the Special Permanent Committee on Armament Programs and Contracts of the Hellenic Parliament approved a V-BAT programme to be carried out through NSPA. Greek defence reporting, cited by Naval News, put that programme at €71 million over four years for 10 systems, or 20 aircraft, with 12 allocated to the Army and eight to the Navy, plus a two-year follow-on support package. Shield has not confirmed whether Wednesday’s contract covers that entire programme.

On 23 July, National Defence Minister Nikos Dendias announced the approval of a programme to buy additional V-BAT aircraft. According to the Greek defence magazine Flight (Πτήση), he said Greece already had four vertical take-off and landing systems and that they would strengthen networked surveillance of the Aegean and the Evros region. He also referred to the future possibility of arming specially configured Class II versions of the V-BAT.

The latest order is another step in Shield’s partnership with Greece, where the company has opened a regional office in Athens. In October, Shield signed a memorandum of understanding with GEK TERNA to jointly pursue opportunities in Greece for its X-BAT aircraft, including a Greek industrial participation strategy and the potential for local production and sustainment. In July, it partnered with the Greek company ALTUS LSA to arm the V-BAT with the Greek-built KMB Hunter interceptor. Those agreements build on a partnership with EFA GROUP on sovereign autonomous pilots powered by Shield’s Hivemind software.

The V-BAT is a NATO tactical vertical take-off and landing uncrewed aircraft with a single ducted-fan design, a heavy-fuel engine and more than 12 hours of endurance, according to the manufacturer. Its enclosed rotor is designed to allow unassisted launch and recovery from ship decks, islands, remote coastlines and other austere sites, without runways or dedicated launch equipment. Shield says the aircraft has been designed, tested and deployed for contested electronic warfare environments and has demonstrated resilience in GPS- and communications-denied conditions.

Source: Shield AI on X, Shield AI press release, Flight (Πτήση) and Naval News.

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