U.S. Marines Test V-BAT Drone From Warship in Nighttime Intelligence Operations.

The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit launched a V-BAT vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aircraft from USS Portland during night operations in the Pacific on January 23, 2026. The event highlights growing Navy and Marine Corps confidence in ship-launched drones for reconnaissance in expeditionary maritime environments.

U.S. Marines assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit successfully launched a V-BAT vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aerial system from the flight deck of the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Portland during nighttime operations in the Pacific on January 23, according to service officials. The evolution represents one of the first operational uses of the V-BAT from an LPD-class warship, underscoring a broader push to integrate small, ship-launched drones into forward-deployed maritime formations where runway access is limited or nonexistent.
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A V-BAT drone launches from USS Portland during night operations in the Pacific on January 23, 2026. The 11th MEU conducted the flight as part of integrated training with the Boxer ARG. The mission enhances ISR capabilities and maritime combat readiness. (Picture source: U.S. Department of War)

The flight unfolded under low-light conditions designed to simulate real-world combat environments, where visibility is often compromised. The V-BAT’s successful launch and recovery at sea, conducted in coordination with embarked contractors and Navy flight deck personnel, showcased the system’s reliability and maneuverability under challenging atmospheric and operational constraints.

Developed by Shield AI in partnership with Northrop Grumman, the V-BAT is a Group 3 unmanned aerial system uniquely designed to combine the agility of rotary-wing aircraft with the efficiency of fixed-wing flight. Its defining characteristic is its single-engine ducted-fan configuration, allowing it to take off and land vertically from confined spaces without a runway or catapult. Once airborne, the V-BAT transitions to horizontal flight, providing longer endurance and broader coverage than traditional quadcopters or tethered ISR platforms.

At just over 10 feet in length with a wingspan of roughly 9 feet, the V-BAT is compact enough to be deployed from naval flight decks, expeditionary forward operating bases, or even austere island locations. It boasts an operational endurance of 8 hours and can carry a variety of payloads, including high-resolution EO/IR sensors, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and electronic warfare suites. Shield AI’s autonomous software, Hivemind, gives the drone fully autonomous navigation and target recognition capabilities, even in GPS-denied or communications-contested environments.

U.S. Marine Corps officials aboard the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) emphasized the broader operational value of the test. As the 11th MEU continues its integration within the 3rd Fleet’s area of operations, the use of the V-BAT reflects the service’s shift toward expeditionary advanced base operations (EABO) and distributed maritime operations (DMO). In these new concepts of warfare, forward-deployed, mobile, and networked ISR assets are critical for situational awareness, target acquisition, and force protection in contested environments.

This test flight aboard Portland is part of a broader series of trials aimed at evaluating how unmanned systems can enhance ship-to-shore command and control, especially as the Marine Corps retools for a future fight against peer adversaries in the Indo-Pacific. The V-BAT’s ability to carry multi-mission payloads, including full-motion electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors and electronic warfare packages, offers a modularity that aligns with the Corps’ demand for flexibility and speed in rapidly shifting battle conditions.

Unlike conventional drone systems that rely on airstrips or complex launch mechanisms, the V-BAT can take off vertically from tight deck spaces with minimal crew support. For amphibious assault ships, this capability is a game-changer, enabling persistent ISR over littoral zones and contested maritime chokepoints. Navy aviation specialists on board Portland are continuing to study the platform's deck-handling requirements, communication integration, and endurance under sustained use.

Sources familiar with the ongoing trials noted that this particular night sortie also involved real-time data links back to command elements aboard other ARG vessels, illustrating the platform’s potential to contribute to a shared maritime sensor picture. This aligns with the Navy’s evolving Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) strategy, which seeks to integrate data from air, sea, land, and space assets into a unified operational framework.

Operational use of the V-BAT drone from amphibious ships directly addresses one of the Marine Corps’ most pressing modernization challenges: providing timely intelligence and targeting data to small, distributed units operating far from traditional command hubs. With China’s anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy in mind, the Corps is pushing hard to field unmanned systems that can support maritime littoral regiments, reconnaissance teams, and amphibious units working in contested archipelagic terrain.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.