The United States Coast Guard awarded a contract on June 26, 2024, to Shield AI Inc. of San Diego for unmanned aircraft system (UAS) capability that can be deployed from Coast Guard cutters. The indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity firm fixed-price contract runs through 2029 and is structured as five one-year ordering periods.
This contractor-owned, contractor-operated service will be used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in support of Coast Guard missions. Requirements for the cutter-based UAS capability – which the Coast Guard will term as maritime UAS or MUAS in the future – included fully automated flight operations, minimum endurance of 12 hours of flight time daily and the ability to provide services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The payload will include electro-optical and infrared sensors and communications relays and be capable of providing surveillance, detection, classification and identification for all of the host cutter’s operational missions.
A V-BAT in flight over the California coast. Photo by Shield AI
The contract has a total potential value of $198.1 million and includes installation and deinstallation of the UAS capability and pilot and mission training. Shield AI will deploy its V-BAT, which is a vertical take-off and landing UAS.
“We’re excited to support the U.S. Coast Guard with their ISR operations. All maritime vessels will become drone carriers as maritime forces move to deploy distributed, affordable, intelligent drones. V-BAT’s selection by the U.S. Coast Guard is indicative of a broader marker movement where increasingly customers are recognizing they can accomplish the vast majority of their mission sets with affordable drones rather than exquisite, expensive crewed or uncrewed aircraft,”
said Brandon Tseng, Shield AI’s President, Co-founder, and former Navy SEAL.
Initially, the contract will be used to continue UAS capability on the national security cutter class; however, the contract can be used to support additional cutter classes in the future.
Photo: A V-BAT unmanned aerial system operates above Royal Bahrain Naval Force fast-attack craft RBNS Abdul Rahman Al-fadel, right, and USCG patrol boat USCGC Maui (WPB 1304) (CENTCOM photo)
Source: Press Release;