Shield AI, one of Silicon Valley’s most valuable defense startups, is facing renewed scrutiny after a Romanian Navy official lost two fingers in a V-BAT drone training accident off the Texas coast.
The incident comes as the $12.7 billion company battles questions about the safety and reliability of its military drones.
According to a Reuters investigation, Shield AI’s V-BAT drones have reportedly crashed more than 50 times during testing and training over the past 18 months, while former employees allege safety concerns were ignored and technical issues were downplayed.
The company maintains that the latest injury resulted from a violation of established safety procedures rather than a product defect and says the V-BAT remains one of the most operationally proven vertical takeoff and landing military drones in service.
Despite the concerns, Shield AI continues to secure major defense contracts as it develops next-generation autonomous aircraft for the Pentagon.