Shield AI Delivers First V-BATs to Taiwan, Deepening its Partnership with Taiwan Coast Guard Administration

TAIPEI (October 13, 2026) – Defense-tech company Shield AI announced the first delivery of its V-BAT to the Taiwan Coast Guard Administration (CGA) with its partner Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC). Over the coming months, twelve V-BATs will be delivered to the CGA. Shield AI’s V-BATs were competitively selected by the CGA in July 2026 for its “Shipborne UAV” program.   

On October 7, the CGA presented its newly arrived V-BATs at the Port of Taipei to Minister Kuan Bi-Ling of the Ocean Affairs Council and Secretary General Joseph Wu of the National Security Council. Shield AI engineers demonstrated aircraft setup within minutes, displaying V-BAT’s ease of operations and advanced technological capabilities for maritime security. 

CGA will utilize V-BAT as a ship-based capability to maintain persistent Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) for surveillance, coastal patrols and law enforcement operations. Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft eliminate the need for runways and improve deployment flexibility while optimizing costs and reducing personnel requirements. Partnering to build local expertise, Shield AI will train Coast Guard operators and maintenance personnel while simultaneously creating a robust localized support system for the V-BATs with AIDC. 

“V-BAT will give Taiwan’s Coast Guard the maritime domain awareness and intelligence picture needed across the Taiwan Strait and its maritime borders,” said Brandon Tseng, Shield AI president and co-founder. “V-BAT already does this for the U.S. Coast Guard, helping intercept more than 100,000 pounds of narcotics last year alone. Extending those same capabilities to Taiwan helps keep the Strait safe from illegal activity and hostile actors. It gives Taiwan the sovereignty it needs to protect its own waters.” 

Last year, Shield AI and AIDC entered into an agreement to advance Taiwan’s sovereign defense capabilities, strengthen its aerospace industrial base, and enhance collaborative technological innovation. The companies have engaged in strategic collaboration through sustainment, training, autonomy integration, and other technical initiatives to ensure Shield AI’s products can be deployed, supported, and scaled in Taiwan.   

“CGA’s V-BAT adoption demonstrates what can be achieved by combining Shield AI’s world-class technology with AIDC’s localized expertise. Shield AI has strengthened its local presence and footprint in Taiwan over the past year and consistently shown its willingness to integrate, sustain and support advanced autonomous systems in Taiwan with local partners. This gives us the reassurance that it is not just delivering a capability but is also vested in helping build the local expertise and infrastructure that will enhance our maritime security for years to come,” said Jennifer Chuang, President of AIDC. 

V-BAT is a Group 3 uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) featuring a ducted-fan design, more than 12 hours of endurance, and a heavy-fuel engine. Designed, tested, and deployed for contested electronic warfare environments, V-BAT delivers ISR and targeting capability at significantly lower cost and logistical burden than larger systems. Its single-engine, enclosed-rotor design enables safe, unassisted launch and recovery from ship decks, urban rooftops, and austere environments, making it particularly effective for maritime and expeditionary operations. 

About Shield AI 

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.  

Media Contact: Serene Koh [email protected]