The U.S. Army will replace the RQ-7 Shadow drone with a V-BAT that lands like a SpaceX rocket

Shield AI and Northrop Grumman will develop a new unmanned aerial vehicle to replace drones

The RQ-7 Shadow, which has been in service for two decades, is called the V-BAT.

What is known

RQ-7 Shadow entered service with the US Army in2001. The catapult launch system, along with the inability to work in all weather, forced the service to look for a replacement. The army settled on the V-BAT drone.

It is a vertical takeoff drone.and landing (VTOL). The UAV can stay in the air for 8 hours, after which there will be enough fuel in the tank for another 1 hour of flight. Due to the appearance during landing, the drone resembles a SpaceX rocket.

The modular system allows you to use differentpayload types depending on the mission. The drone is capable of carrying electro-optical / infrared sensors, a radar station and electronic warfare systems.

In the summer of 2022, Shield AI helddrone testing. As part of the tests, V-BAT was launched from the USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001), the second of three Zumwalt-class stealth destroyers. Earlier versions of the drone have been used in US Navy and Marine Corps operations since 2016.