NATO agency orders more Shield V-BAT drones for Greece's army and navy

The NATO Support and Procurement Agency has ordered more Shield V-BAT drones for Greece, adding to the aircraft fleet Greece already flies for ISR over land and sea. Shield said a common fleet lets the Greek Army and Navy share training and maintenance procedures.

The V-BAT takes off and lands vertically and flies for more than 12 hours, using a heavy-fuel engine and a single enclosed ducted fan. "V-BAT is exceptionally well suited to the Aegean, where forces need long-endurance ISR from islands, coastlines, ships and austere sites without dependence on runways," said Shield's regional director for Eastern and Southeast Europe, James Lythgoe.

NSPA placed the order through its UAS Support Partnership, which pools requirements and provides shared logistics, spare parts, maintenance, training and upgrades while countries keep ownership of their systems.

Shield has opened a regional office in Athens and signed an October memorandum of understanding with GEK TERNA on X-BAT opportunities in Greece, including possible local production. In July it teamed up with ALTUS LSA to fit the V-BAT with Greece's KMB Hunter interceptor.