V-BAT drone operating from a Coast Guard National Security Cutter. Photo: Shield AI

The Coast Guard in January began land-based deployments of its V-BAT unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), which are typically used aboard the service’s fleet of National Security Cutters (NSCs) for operations at sea. The expanded deployments began in the Coast Guard’s Southwest District area of responsibility “to control, secure and defend the U.S. border and maritime approaches by providing persistent airborne surveillance capability to expand the Coast Guard’s maritime domain awareness,” the service told Defense Daily this week in response to…