Key facts
- A Romanian Navy official had two fingers severed and a third fractured by a V-BAT drone propeller on May 12.
- The incident occurred during a Shield AI training exercise off the Texas coast.
- This is the second reported incident involving severed fingers with Shield AI's V-BAT drone.
- The V-BAT drone has reportedly crashed more than 50 times in the past 18 months.
- Shield AI acquired the V-BAT drone technology when it purchased Martin UAV in 2021.
- Shield AI stated the May 12 incident was due to a violation of safety procedures, not a product defect.
A Romanian Navy official suffered severe injuries, including two severed fingers and a fractured third, when her hand was caught in the propeller of Shield AI's V-BAT drone during a training exercise on May 12. The incident occurred on a boat off the Texas coast and has not been previously reported. This event echoes a similar incident approximately a year ago where a U.S. Navy official's fingers were partially severed during a V-BAT test. Shield AI, a defense tech startup valued at $12.7 billion, has faced persistent technical and safety issues with its V-BAT drone, which has reportedly crashed over 50 times in the last 18 months. A whistleblower complaint alleges that Shield AI obscured technical flaws to secure military sales. The company maintains a strong safety record and defends the V-BAT's performance, stating that operational mishaps are common for such drones and that the May 12 incident was due to a safety procedure violation, not a product defect. Romania's defense ministry is investigating the incident, and their contract for V-BAT drones remains in effect.