Romania will purchase the latest V-BAT drones, which have already proven themselves in Ukraine, for its Navy.

This was reported by HotNews.ro.

Romania should receive the first drones with vertical takeoff and landing, resistant to electronic countermeasures, by the end of 2025.

The purchase of these drones became known during a meeting between the representatives of the Romanian Ministry of National Defense and accredited journalists, where the officials spoke about plans to strengthen the Romanian fleet in 2025.

According to them, in 2025, attention will be focused on two key areas:

• The procurement of patrol vessels, fast response boats, offshore tugs, man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), V-BAT drones, radios, CBRN equipment and multi-purpose wheeled transport platforms.
• It also includes the modernization of naval minesweepers, frigates, missile boats, support vessels and corvettes.

In addition, the second Sandown-class minehunter is expected to arrive in May, purchased from the UK in September 2023 after being decommissioned from the Royal Navy.

As the publication has learned from its own sources, Romania plans to receive three systems in total, each of which will include four V-BAT drones and the corresponding ground infrastructure.

The first system will be transferred as part of the US assistance under the Maritime Domain Awareness program. The cost of this assistance is estimated at approximately $18 million.

According to the publication, this will be followed by a second phase, in which the Navy will make a direct intergovernmental purchase of two more V-BAT systems from the United States worth about $30 million.

V-BAT

The V-BAT drone weighs 56.5 kg, of which up to 11 kg is the payload. It can stay in the air for up to 10 hours. Its main feature is its vertical takeoff and landing on a platform measuring only 4×4 meters. Moreover, takeoff and landing can be performed automatically without GPS.

The drone’s reconnaissance capabilities are provided by a powerful optoelectronic station. It is equipped with a sensitive MWIR thermal imaging sensor, and artificial intelligence is used to detect and recognize targets. In addition to reconnaissance equipment, the drone can also be equipped with laser-guided munitions.

On January 12, 2025, it became known that the Ukrainian Defense Forces had received new Shield AI MQ-35A V-BAT drones. These drones have already been successfully used in the depths of the occupied Ukrainian territories, during which they confirmed their maximum range of 150 km.