By N. C. Bipindra
Mumbai: Indian firm JSW Defence Private Limited, part of the US$24-billion JSW Group, today announced a “strategic partnership” with Shield AI Inc., a leading American defence technology company, to indigenise and manufacture Shield AI’s ‘V-BAT‘ fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) in India.
“This collaboration marks a significant step in boosting India’s defence capabilities by bringing in world-class UAS technology to the country (India),” the Indian company statement said.
As part of the partnership, the JSW Group will invest around US$90 million in the next two years, with US$65 million allocated in the first 12 months to establish JSW’s global compliance programme, and a manufacturing facility to ensure proper technology licensing and manpower training.
“This investment will enable JSW to establish a local supply chain and create an advanced facility in India for manufacturing, assembling, and testing V-BAT aircraft (a Group 3 UAS). This effort will enable large-scale production of V-BATs in India to serve the needs of the Indian armed forces and also function as a global production hub for Shield AI,” the statement said.
The V-BAT is a fixed-wing, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), long-endurance intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platform, currently deployed by multiple armed forces globally, including the United States’ Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs).
It provides cutting-edge ISR functionality in a highly tactical system capable of being forward deployed in complex and adversarial territory to provide a range of flexible solutions to special forces, front-line infantry, armored, and artillery units. V-BAT has a unique patented ducted design with the advantages of a small logistics footprint and ease of rapid deployment, the statement said.
“Our collaboration with Shield AI is in keeping with our commitment to induct mission-critical technologies for deployment by the Indian armed forces and play an integral role in indigenizing defense technology in India,” JSW Group’s Parth Jindal said.
“Through this partnership, we will be able to supply indigenous V-BATs at scale, provide flight operator training, and end-to-end maintenance, repair & overhaul (MRO) services to the Indian armed forces,” he said.
“The JSW Group has always believed in bringing world-class products and services with state-of-the-art technology into India and this partnership is yet another milestone in this journey,” Parth Jindal added.
“Shield AI has been an early mover in investing deeply in India, in line with both governments’ desire for a closely integrated defence supply chain between the US and India. This partnership with JSW has been crafted over a multi-year period to transform the depth, scale, and scope of India’s indigenous capabilities in military unmanned systems. We look forward to doing a lot more with our partners in India,” Shield AI’s India managing director Sarjan Shah said.
“Shield AI is excited to enhance the Indo-US strategic partnership through collaboration with JSW Group, strengthening our commitment to deploy cutting-edge UAS technology globally and harness India’s vast engineering and manufacturing talent,” Shield AI’s president and co-founder Brandon Tseng, a former US Navy SEAL, said.
“India, designated as a Major Defense Partner by the United States in 2016 and elevated to Strategic Trade Authorization Tier 1 status in 2018, is one of only two countries with this designation – the other being the UAE, where Shield AI also has offices,” he said.
“JSW recognizes the same thing Shield AI does: that Group 3 UAS like the V-BAT can accomplish the same missions as many helicopters and larger Group 5 UAS for a fraction of the price. As the market shifts from expensive, exquisite aircraft to swarms of lower-cost, AI-piloted UAS, this collaboration builds upon Shield AI’s significant US investments, enhances global distribution, and supports continued expansion of US operations.”
NOTE: The JSW Group is present in various sectors including Steel, Energy, Infrastructure, Defence, Cement, Paints, Venture Capital, and Sports, playing a significant role in driving India’s economic growth. JSW Steel, the flagship company of the Group, is today the largest steel manufacturer in India with a combined capacity of 29.7 MTPA. JSW Defence, through its arm JSW Gecko Motors, currently manufactures Specialist Mobility Vehicles ‘JSW ATOR’ for the Indian Army. With a culturally diverse workforce spread across India, USA, Europe, and Africa, the JSW Group directly employs nearly 40,000 people.
NOTE: Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defence technology company whose mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Shield AI is building the world’s best AI pilot, Hivemind, which has flown jets (F-16 and MQM-178 Firejet), a vertical takeoff and landing UAS (V-BAT), and three quadcopters (Nova, Nova 2, and iPRD). The company has offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington DC, and outside the US. Shield AI’s products and people are currently in the field actively supporting operations with the US Department of Defense and US allies.
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