ROME (July 21, 2026) — Shield AI announced today that V-BAT achieved the highest European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) authorization issued to date in Europe for unmanned maritime operations and completed a pilot project with Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, and the Italian Coast Guard, flying from the patrol vessel Dattilo in the central Mediterranean. The authorization, reaching SAIL III under the EASA Specific Category framework, was issued by ENAC, Italy’s National Aviation Authority, to Global Sat Tech, the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) operator of record, with Shield AI providing technical documentation, crew training, and operational support toward the authorization effort.

Two V-BATs, the largest drones in the 50-to-100-kilogram class that Frontex has yet flown from a patrol ship, operated day and night as a fully integrated part of the vessel, completing 150 flight hours over 19 days at sea, two days ahead of the trial’s official close. At the peak of the trial, the two aircraft were airborne simultaneously for a combined 20 hours a day, and flights reached a range of 150 kilometres from the ship, far beyond what its sensors alone could see. Results were demonstrated on July 8, when senior Frontex and Italian Coast Guard representatives watched a live search and rescue simulation in which one of the V-BATs located a small inflatable boat and helped coordinate its rescue.

SAIL III is the highest Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) approval level issued to date in Europe. The authorization showed that V-BAT’s safety case, operational procedures, and technical documentation met the requirements of an EASA Member State authority for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) maritime UAS operations.

“Reaching SAIL III validated V-BAT’s safety case, procedures, and technical documentation against the most demanding standard applied to unmanned systems in Europe to date, and this trial with Frontex and the Italian Coast Guard put that validation to work in a real operational environment,” said Armor Harris, senior vice president of aircraft engineering at Shield AI. “That combination shows what V-BAT can deliver as countries using the SORA framework evaluate options for maritime surveillance and border security.”

“This milestone in the Mediterranean builds on years of proven V-BAT operations across the Black Sea and Aegean,” said James Lythgoe, regional director for Eastern and Southeast Europe at Shield AI. “It reflects a consistent track record of delivering maritime ISR capability in some of Europe’s most demanding environments.”

Frontex said it will now carry out a full evaluation of the pilot project’s results, and that the guidelines and lessons learned from the trial will be shared with EU Member States and agencies this autumn as part of the agency’s wider plans to modernize surveillance across the European Border and Coast Guard community. The ENAC authorization applied to Global Sat’s approved operational procedures and designated operating area. It did not automatically extend to other EU member states, but the validated safety case and technical documentation give future operators a foundation to work from. Shield AI will support prospective operators as they work through their own national aviation authorities.

V-BAT is a NATO Class I VTOL UAS featuring a ducted-fan design, 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 lower cost and logistical burden than larger NATO Class II and III systems. Its single-engine, enclosed-rotor design enables launch and recovery from ship decks, urban rooftops, and austere environments, making it 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.

Media Contact:

Lily Hinz
[email protected]