WASHINGTON, D.C.—Shield AI is collaborating with Australia’s Sentient Vision Systems to supply Sentient’s ViDAR wide-area motion imagery system on Shield’s V-BAT vertical takeoff and landing UAS.

“The supply contract is a multi-year, multi-units agreement, with first deliveries planned for 2024,” said Sentient CEO Mark Palmer, who made the joint announcement with Brett Darcey, Shield AI’s vice president of product and programs, at a reception attended by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and hosted by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington, D.C.

The companies previously announced the joint development and integration of a ViDAR-enabled, wide-area-search capability onto Shield AI’s V-BAT unmanned aircraft, which will enable Shield AI’s V-BAT to intelligently classify, track, and read-and-react to targets in dynamic missions. Combining ViDAR with Shield AI’s Hivemind will provide the most advanced AI-piloted ISR sensor package in the world, the companies said.

“Our partnership with Sentient Vision marks a major advancement in AI-driven situational awareness. Integrating ViDAR with our V-BAT platform showcases our dedication to giving allied warfighters the best AI tools so they can achieve a clear strategic edge,” said Brandon Tseng, Shield AI’s president, cofounder, and a former U.S. Navy SEAL

ViDAR is Sentient’s AI system, which uses an electro-optic/infrared sensor to detect and classify targets in the imagery stream that would be invisible to a human operator or to a conventional radar. With these enhanced capabilities, V-BAT will be even more proficient in executing the most challenging missions, offering a level of capability that significantly bolsters threat deterrence, thereby reinforcing international peace and security.

“The confirmation of our long-term relationship absolutely reflects the AI technology workstream that is underlined in the AUKUS Pillar 2, said Sentient’s newly appointed CEO, Mark Palmer. “Innovation stemmed from our computer vision AI-enabled ViDAR and Shield AI’s Hivemind will provide commanders with immediate situational awareness and survivability of our warfighters.”