More V-BATs for the Hellenic Army and Navy: new NATO order from Shield – what the contract includes

The V-BAT fleet of the Greek Armed Forces is growing. The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has ordered additional vertical take-off and landing unmanned aircraft from the American company Shield for the Hellenic Army and the Hellenic Navy, the company announced from Athens on Wednesday, November 11.

The contract does not concern aircraft alone. It includes spare parts, training, ground support equipment and support throughout their service life. According to the company, the order means a “significant expansion” of the Greek fleet.

One common fleet for land and sea

The V-BAT is already watching the Aegean for the Hellenic Army, on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. With the new order two branches will operate the same system, which according to Shield means common training, common maintenance and common operational experience, and an aircraft that needs no runway.

“The V-BAT is an excellent fit for the Aegean, where forces need long-endurance surveillance from islands, coasts, ships and sites without infrastructure, independent of runways,” said James Lithgow, Shield’s regional director for Eastern and Southeastern Europe. He called the order a “vote of confidence” in an aircraft that already serves in the Greek Armed Forces.

The unmanned aircraft has a ducted fan, a heavy-fuel engine and endurance of more than 12 hours. It takes off and lands vertically without a runway or special launch equipment, so it can operate from a ship’s deck, from islands and from remote coastlines. According to the company, it is designed for an electronic warfare environment and has proven it can operate without GPS or communications.

The NSPA contract

The order is placed through NSPA’s UAS Support Partnership framework, which pools the needs of many countries and handles procurement, spares, maintenance, upgrades and technical assistance for the whole life of the unmanned systems. The country keeps ownership and control, while gaining time in procedures and a common supply chain. The Army has also acquired through NSPA the larger Patroller, which was presented at the October 28 parade in Thessaloniki.

Shield has opened an office in Athens and is gradually building Greek partnerships. In October it signed a memorandum with GEK TERNA on the X-BAT unmanned fighter, with the prospect of Greek participation in production and support. In July it worked with ALTUS LSA so that the V-BAT could carry the Greek KMB Hunter interceptor drone, while with EFA GROUP it cooperates on autonomous flight systems using the Hivemind software.