The Indian Army has awarded a contract to California-based deep-tech firm Shield AI for the procurement of an unspecified number of V-BAT vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Under the agreement, Shield AI will also provide licences for its Hivemind autonomy software, which will be integrated into the V-BAT platform.
Hivemind Autonomy Software
The Hivemind autonomy software is designed to support operations in complex environments where communications may be limited or unreliable. For the Indian Army, the software is intended to enable autonomous systems to support missions including reconnaissance, surveillance, logistics, and force protection. The software is expected to allow platforms to adapt in real time, manage uncertainty, and reduce operational burden on soldiers.
As part of the agreement, Shield AI will provide access to the Hivemind Software Development Kit (SDK). This SDK will enable Indian engineers and operators to build, test, deploy, and evolve autonomous mission capabilities tailored to operational requirements. The SDK will also be available to select Shield AI partners in India to develop autonomous solutions.
V-BAT UAV Platform
The V-BAT UAVs are vertical take-off and landing unmanned systems that do not require runways for launch or recovery. The Army plans to integrate the Hivemind autonomy software into the V-BAT platform as part of its acquisition.
Domestic Production Facility
In December 2025, JSW Defence began construction of a facility for next-generation unmanned aerial systems (UAS) at EMC Maheshwaram in Hyderabad as part of a strategic partnership with Shield AI. The facility is being developed to support large-scale production of V-BAT UAVs in India for the Indian Armed Forces and is planned to function as a production hub. The project is backed by an investment of approximately USD 90 million.
Strategic Context
The programme’s inclusion of both hardware (V-BAT UAVs) and autonomy software (Hivemind) aims to enable the Indian Army to develop, operate, test, and evaluate autonomous mission systems that can function across multiple platforms. The availability of the software development tools is intended to support sovereign development of autonomous capabilities suited to India’s operational requirements.