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V-BAT 5.3 uncrewed aircraft are now reportedly on Australian soil as they complete their first operational flight missions in-country.
Toll Uncrewed Systems head Wayne Condon confirmed the arrival of the aircraft in September as a key milestone for the company and partner Shield AI.
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V-BAT drones reportedly specialise in take-off and vertical landing where runway length is limited or off naval vessels. They are also marketed for use in environments with radio interference, limited or no GPS signal, and degraded communications, using passive, AI-enabled optical ViDAR sensors.
The V-BAT system was reportedly previously selected for use with the US Coast Guard.
“Over the coming days, our team will work closely with Shield AI to complete aircraft preparation, systems integration and final readiness activities ahead of commencing flight activities,” he said in a public statement.
“For Toll Aviation, this marks another important step forward in our uncrewed aviation journey and strengthens our ability to support increasingly complex missions across Defence, government, maritime surveillance, tactical overwatch, emergency response and persistent ISR operations.
“A tremendous amount of work has already taken place behind the scenes to reach this point, making it especially rewarding to finally see the aircraft arrive in Australia.
“We’re looking forward to the next phase and getting these aircraft into the air.”
Earlier this year, the Polish government reportedly signed an agreement with Shield AI to acquire an undisclosed number of MQ-35 V-BAT unmanned aerial systems for delivery to the Polish Navy by the end of the year.
Those V-BAT systems are expected to be deployed aboard Polish Navy vessels for maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.
“V-BAT delivers a significant ISR capability comparable to much larger platforms, in a package that is resilient, affordable and versatile in terms of payloads and its ability to launch and recover from almost anywhere,” according to Jeff Mabry, head of V-BAT at Shield AI.
“In conflicts around the world, you’re seeing the importance of lower-cost systems that deliver real capability. We have that in V-BAT today. And every V-BAT mission, from Ukraine to the Arctic, helps us innovate toward what the warfighter will need tomorrow.
“The future of aerospace and defence depends on being able to move fast. At Shield AI, we aren’t waiting for requirements for future capabilities to be written – we’re building those capabilities now.”
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