India’s JSW Breaks Ground on $90M Shield AI V-BAT Factory in Hyderabad
Indian firm JSW Defence has begun building a new $90-million plant in Hyderabad in partnership with Shield AI to locally produce the V-BAT unmanned aerial system.
The facility, located at the Electronics Manufacturing Cluster in Maheshwaram, will manufacture, assemble, and test the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platform.
Production is expected to start by late 2026.
According to JSW, the project is backed by a long-term transfer-of-technology agreement that gives the company rights to build the system in the country and develop a domestic supply chain.
The investment will support a global compliance program, licensing infrastructure, and workforce competency initiatives.
“Today’s milestone signals a bold new chapter in India’s journey toward self-reliance in next-generation defence technologies,” JSW Group’s Parth Jindal stated at the launch.
“Our collaboration with Shield AI reflects our shared ambition to bring mission-critical, globally benchmarked capabilities to India.”
Shield AI Managing Director for India Sarjan Shah added that the new site will advance the consortium’s “joint vision … to deepen Indo-US defence collaboration built on trust, transparency and shared strategic priorities.”
The V-BAT Drone
Shield AI’s V-BAT drone has a fixed-wing airframe with vertical takeoff and landing capability. It is already fielded by multiple militaries, including the US Marine Corps and the US Coast Guard.
The 9-foot (3-meter) platform can be transported via pickup truck or a helicopter, deployed in 20 minutes by two specialists, and carry up to 25 pounds (11 kilograms) of cargo.
The 125-pound (57-kilogram) aircraft is fitted with a 24-horsepower engine for a maximum speed of 56 miles (90 kilometers) per hour and a service ceiling of 20,000 feet (6,096 meters).
