Poland buys V-BAT drones to boost Baltic Sea naval operations

WARSAW, Poland — The Polish Ministry of National Defence has awarded a contract to U.S. California-based defense technology firm Shield AI to buy its V-BAT drone for Poland’s Navy.

The development comes shortly after Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the company has offered Poland a role in its X-BAT autonomous vertical-takeoff fighter jet program, including some of the manufacturing activities for the craft.

Shield AI said in a statement that the V-BAT will be deployed aboard a Polish Navy vessel, ensuring maritime domain awareness and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) support to the force.

“V-BAT has proven its capabilities in Ukraine and beyond, particularly in environments where communications and GPS links are disrupted or denied,” Ryan Tseng, Shield AI’s president, co-founder and chief strategy officer, was quoted in the statement. “Operations in the Baltic Sea, where security threats against critical energy and communications infrastructure are becoming more frequent, demand reliable sensor platforms and systems in all-weather conditions and sea states.”

The Armament Agency, the Polish ministry’s procurement arm, said in a statement that “the delivery of the system, which comprises several platforms, is planned for later in 2026.”

The deal puts Poland in line to become the first country on NATO’s eastern flank to acquire the drone. Warsaw will join other operators, including Greece and the Netherlands, as well as the U.S. Navy and the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force, according to data from Shield AI.

“In addition to the aircraft themselves, the V-BAT system comes with ground control stations, antennas, spares, and maintenance equipment, and other operating equipment needed to maintain operational readiness,” a spokesperson for Shield AI told Defense News.

The spokesperson said that “Shield AI is actively pursuing partnerships with Polish industry to support future autonomy, aviation, and defense programs. We look forward to expanding our engagement with Poland and sharing additional details in the coming months.”

Since 2025, when Poland launched the Drone Force , its latest military component, the country has accelerated purchases of various classes of unmanned systems. Last month, the nation also joined the Pentagon’s counter-drone initiative to gain access to a marketplace that connects partner countries with emerging technology suppliers.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

波兰华沙——波兰国防部已与总部位于美国加利福尼亚州的国防技术公司 Shield AI 签订合同，为波兰海军购买其 V-BAT 无人机。

就在不久前，波兰总理唐纳德·图斯克宣布，该公司已向波兰提出邀请，让波兰参与其 X-BAT 自主垂直起降战斗机项目，其中包括该战机的一些制造活动。

Shield AI 在一份声明中表示，V-BAT 将部署在波兰海军舰艇上，确保为该部队提供海上领域感知和情报、监视和侦察 (ISR) 支持。

“V-BAT已在乌克兰及其他地区证明了其能力，尤其是在通信和GPS链路中断或被封锁的环境中，”Shield AI总裁、联合创始人兼首席战略官Ryan Tseng在声明中表示。“在波罗的海，针对关键能源和通信基础设施的安全威胁日益频繁，因此需要能够在各种天气和海况下可靠运行的传感器平台和系统。”

波兰国防部下属的军备局在一份声明中表示，“该系统由多个平台组成，计划于 2026 年晚些时候交付。”

根据Shield AI的数据，这项协议将使波兰有望成为北约东翼首个获得该型无人机的国家。华沙将加入其他无人机用户行列，包括希腊、荷兰、美国海军和日本海上自卫队。

“除了飞机本身，V-BAT 系统还配备了地面控制站、天线、备件、维护设备以及其他维持作战准备所需的操作设备，”Shield AI 的一位发言人告诉《防务新闻》。

发言人表示：“Shield AI正积极寻求与波兰工业界建立合作关系，以支持未来的自主系统、航空和国防项目。我们期待在未来几个月内扩大与波兰的合作，并分享更多细节。”

自2025年波兰组建其最新军事力量——无人机部队以来，该国加快了各类无人系统的采购。上个月，波兰还加入了五角大楼的反无人机倡议，以进入一个连接伙伴国家和新兴技术供应商的市场。

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。