U.S. V-BAT Vertical-Takeoff Drone Armed With South Korean Guided Missiles.

South Korea’s LIG Nex1 and U.S.-based Shield AI have signed a contract at UMEX 2026 to integrate and flight-test a laser-guided missile on the V-BAT unmanned aircraft. The move signals a shift toward arming runway-independent ISR drones, allowing U.S. and allied forces to shorten the sensor-to-shooter timeline in contested environments.

South Korean LIG Nex1 and U.S. Shield AI chose UMEX 2026 in Abu Dhabi to put real momentum behind their partnership, marking a newly signed contract to integrate, fly, and test LIG Nex1’s multi-purpose drone-launched guided missile (L-MDM) on Shield AI’s V-BAT vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aircraft. More than a trade-show milestone, the move signals a deliberate shift toward turning a runway-independent ISR platform into an armed scout that can compress the sensor-to-shooter loop from hours to minutes.
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V-BAT armed with LIG Nex1’s laser-guided L-MDM adds a compact precision-strike option, enabling standoff engagement of fixed or moving targets and turning the VTOL ISR drone into a rapid find-track-finish platform in contested environments (Picture source: Shield AI).

The UMEX contract is best read as the practical engineering work order that follows the companies’ earlier political intent. In May 2025, at MADEX in Busan, LIG Nex1 and Shield AI signed a memorandum of understanding focused on manned-unmanned teaming and autonomous mission systems, including integrating LIG Nex1 mission systems with Shield AI’s autonomy stack and weapon systems, developing autonomous operations optimized for MUM-T environments, and jointly expanding into global markets. In other words, the missile-on-drone configuration now being tested is a first, tangible product of that wider manned-unmanned and autonomy roadmap.

V-BAT is a strong host platform for armed ISR because its design solves basing before it solves lethality. Shield AI describes V-BAT as a single-engine, ducted-fan VTOL aircraft with unassisted launch and recovery, able to operate in maximum winds up to 25 knots and on moving ships at 10 knots, with landing zones as small as 4.6 m by 4.6 m. The air vehicle is built around expeditionary logistics: rapid deployment in under 30 minutes by a two-person team, a heavy-fuel engine for persistent missions, and optional SATCOM for beyond-line-of-sight control. Shield AI highlights payload growth room, advertising up to 40 lb of payload capacity and more than 13 hours of endurance for long-duration ISR and targeting missions.

LIG Nex1 presents L-MDM as a small, lightweight air-to-ground guided missile developed specifically for unmanned platforms. It is designed from the outset for drone carriage, emphasizing simplified integration on existing surveillance and reconnaissance drones rather than bespoke adaptation. The missile uses laser guidance and is intended to engage both fixed and moving targets, offering precision effects while keeping the launch platform at a safe standoff distance. The emphasis on ease of integration suggests a munition optimized for modularity, with streamlined electrical, software, and mechanical interfaces that reduce qualification timelines across multiple airframes.

This new configuration addresses a familiar problem in contemporary conflicts: ISR assets frequently detect time-sensitive targets but must hand them off to other shooters, losing time and sometimes the opportunity itself. With a laser-guided missile onboard, V-BAT can compress the kill chain dramatically. Target designation can be performed by the launching drone if fitted with an appropriate electro-optical payload, or by an external designator on the ground or another airborne platform. The latter option is tactically attractive, allowing the drone to remain offset or masked while another node illuminates the target. The ongoing integration and flight-test work will therefore focus not only on safe weapon release but also on sensor cueing, target handoff, stores management, and the ability of the autonomy and datalink architecture to support rapid engagements without overburdening the operator.

This capability is particularly relevant in environments where traditional air support is limited or politically sensitive. V-BAT is already marketed as optimized for electronic warfare-heavy battlefields and has demonstrated the ability to operate in GNSS-denied and communications-contested conditions. Shield AI has confirmed that V-BAT has flown operational missions in Ukraine alongside the Unmanned Systems Forces, conducting more than 130 sorties in an intense electronic warfare environment. Adding L-MDM does not fundamentally change the drone’s survivability profile, but it transforms its mission set from pure ISR to autonomous armed overwatch, able to detect, track, and engage fleeting targets of opportunity during a single sortie.

The broader significance lies in force structure and acquisition logic. V-BAT has been selected by the U.S. Coast Guard for its Maritime Unmanned Aircraft System Services program and has deployed on nearly every class of U.S. Navy ship as well as with all seven Marine Expeditionary Units. The Netherlands Ministry of Defence has ordered eight systems for the Royal Netherlands Navy and Marine Corps, while Japan selected V-BAT as the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first dedicated maritime ISR drone. In January 2026, India also confirmed an emergency procurement of V-BAT systems and Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy licenses for the Indian Army. For all these users, an armed V-BAT offers a clear growth path: acquire the platform for ISR first, then add a precision strike effector without changing basing concepts, training pipelines, or support infrastructure.

On the missile side, LIG Nex1’s expanding export presence strengthens the pairing’s appeal. South Korean guided missiles such as the Cheongung II have already entered service with multiple Middle Eastern customers, demonstrating confidence in Korean precision weapons. For countries already operating or evaluating Korean missiles, integrating L-MDM onto a widely adopted Western drone platform creates a modular ecosystem rather than a closed national solution. This dynamic means that acquiring one component, either the drone or the missile, can naturally lead to adopting the other.

Likely customers for such a configuration include Gulf states seeking persistent maritime overwatch with limited strike options, Indo-Pacific nations facing dispersed coastal threats, and European navies looking to add affordable precision effects to patrol vessels and auxiliaries. For these users, the V-BAT and L-MDM pairing represents not just another armed drone, but a deliberately modular, expeditionary strike capability aligned with how modern forces actually deploy and fight.

Written by Evan Lerouvillois, Defense Analyst.

Evan studied International Relations, and quickly specialized in defense and security. He is particularly interested in the influence of the defense sector on global geopolitics, and analyzes how technological innovations in defense, arms export contracts, and military strategies influence the international geopolitical scene.