Saudi Arabia is in talks to purchase drones from US artificial intelligence start-up Shield AI, as the Trump administration pushes arms sales in the energy-rich Gulf, two sources briefed on the talks told Middle East Eye on Monday.
The discussions are still in early stages, but the drones from the San Diego start-up could be used as Saudi Arabia steps up its focus on regional hotspots from Yemen to Sudan.
Shield uses AI software called “hivemind” to power its autonomous drones.
The V-Bat model is used for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. It can be launched from ships and spend up to 13 hours in flight, using AI to fly without GPS, communications or a human pilot.
Saudi Arabia has stepped up its security focus in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea amid clashes with the UAE. In December, Saudi Arabia attacked an Emirati weapons shipment in the Yemeni port of Mukalla.
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Saudi Arabia signed a military cooperation agreement with Somalia on Monday and is in talks, with Egypt’s support, to bolster security ties with Eritrea.
The V-Bat is readily available and has been tested on Ukraine’s battlefield. US Vice President JD Vance was next to a V-Bat drone in Armenia on Monday.
Shield AI’s newer product is a fighter drone called the X-Bat. The drone’s ability to take off and land vertically means it can also be launched from a ship without a runway. The company says that up to three X-Bats can fit in the space of a traditional fighter jet or helicopter. The X-Bat was unveiled in October 2025, but is not yet operational.
Saudi Arabia could eventually acquire both systems, but each would need separate approval from the administration, the sources told MEE.
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The kingdom’s military sales ties to the US were turbocharged in November when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited the White House.
MEE reported first that the US and Saudi Arabia agreed to a defence partnership that will fast-track arms sales to the kingdom. More recently, lawmakers and their staffers have been briefed on how arms sales will impact Israel’s “qualitative military edge”.
A deal between Saudi Arabia and Shield AI would be small compared to the big-ticket items the kingdom is in discussions over, including F-35 warplanes. But it could be a substantial sale for a start-up whose investors include Palantir, Airbus and venture capitalist Steven Cohen.
Saudi Arabia’s defence minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, discussed arms sales on his visit to the US in late January.
Saudi Arabia is hosting its own defence show in Riyadh this week. The kingdom has put a greater focus on co-production.
Hesham Alghannam, a Saudi defence analyst in Riyadh, said in November that the kingdom was to cooperate with the US on “the localisation of content” for weapons systems.
