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UAV / drone

United States

Shield AI

Nova 2

A compact, backpack-portable quadcopter built by Shield AI for GNSS-denied indoor reconnaissance and mapping, flying fully autonomously without a remote pilot or datalink. In service since 2018, including use by the Israeli military in hostage-rescue operations and by U.S. law enforcement (San Diego Police Department) for indoor surveillance.

In service since 2018

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-08-03

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

US ITAR-controlled

Export needs U.S. State Dept (DDTC) approval; end-use & re-transfer restrictions apply.

Channel: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale

Fielded & proven

Operator data not public

In service since 2018. Status: active.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from. Why so few systems publish one →

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Performance specifications
Endurance Time on station. Critical for UAVs and patrol platforms, higher means longer persistent coverage.	0.3 h Bottom 3% of UAVs

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Sensors & avionics specifications
Sensors IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.	5x Intel RealSense stereo depth cameras, 4x infrared cameras, 1x long-wave infrared (LWIR) camera

Specifications compiled from public Shield AI and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-08-03.

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