How the US Coast Guard’s Drone Changed Drug Interdiction in the Pacific

Paul Allen

20 Nov 2025 • 7 min read

While drug interdiction has historically relied on manned aircraft and patrol vessels, the US Coast Guard just used a radically different system to seize over 49,000 pounds of cocaine in the eastern Pacific. The deployment of Shield AI's MQ-35 V-BAT drone on the Coast Guard Cutter Stone during 15 interdictions, including three in a single night, shows how uncrewed aerial systems redefine surveillance capabilities.

The V-BAT drone operates as a tail-sitter, capable of vertical takeoff and landing, allowing it to launch from a moving large cutter in winds up to 25 knots. It provides persistent surveillance with over 13 hours of flight time, dramatically extending the ship’s reconnaissance reach without relying on fixed-wing aircraft.

But this isn’t just a new toy for maritime patrol—it’s a strategic leverage play that shifts how constraints in drug interdiction are managed. Instead of splitting attention between active interdiction and area monitoring, the Stone’s crew used the drone to continuously scout adjacent waters independently from boarding operations. This allowed rapid identification of multiple targets of interest, catching smugglers in succession and seizing massive contraband loads worth over $362 million.

“Without drones, we’d be blind when our teams are busy boarding vessels,” said Capt. Anne O’Connell, describing how the drone’s live-feed allowed simultaneous interdiction and surveillance. This exemplifies how automation removes human bottlenecks from operational constraints, amplifying reach and responsiveness in a vast ocean area.

Why Traditional Patrols Limit Interdiction Effectiveness

Conventional wisdom views maritime drug interdiction as primarily limited by patrol vessel speed and manned aircraft availability. However, the main constraint is actually surveillance persistence and simultaneous multi-target tracking. Manned aircraft have limited flight hours and require crew rest cycles, while cutters cannot observe all sectors at once during lengthy boarding activities.

This matches how AI augmentation boosts human team leverage—the drone supplements human operators, operating independently and transmitting real-time data to the ship’s command center. Unlike competitors who rely solely on manned aircraft or random patrols, the Stone leverages a small tactical drone that constantly monitors wide areas, drastically increasing the chance of timely interdiction.

The Strategic Advantage Of The MQ-35 V-BAT Drone’s Design

The MQ-35 V-BAT uses ducted-fan tail-sitter technology, providing flexibility to launch and land vertically from moving cutters up to 10 knots. This design offers rapid deployment—two operators can prepare and launch the drone in under 30 minutes—a key system design enabling high operational tempo.

Compared with fixed-wing UAVs requiring runways or catapults, V-BAT drones sidestep traditional infrastructure constraints. This positions the Coast Guard to scale operations in vast, under-patrolled waters like the eastern Pacific where flight assets are scarce.

Alternative systems used by other nations or agencies lack this combined vertical takeoff and extended endurance, preventing rapid, cost-effective reconnaissance. The drone effectively shifts the operational constraint from human availability and aircraft presence to automated, persistent monitoring systems, multiplying the interdiction workload capacity.

This aligns with automation as a multiplication of limited human resources, creating compounding advantages over competitors relying on traditional asset deployment.

Forward-Looking Leverage In Maritime Interdiction

The key constraint shift is from limited human-managed surveillance bandwidth to integrated autonomous area monitoring. Maritime law enforcement agencies globally should watch Shield AI’s V-BAT deployment on the US Coast Guard Cutter Stone as a model to replicate persistent, multi-vector surveillance without exponentially increasing crew or aircraft overhead.

Regions like the Caribbean and West African coasts, plagued with drug smuggling, can apply similar small drone technology to overcome coverage gaps. This also opens new strategic options for mixed human-AI teams that maintain continuous domain awareness while executing complex interdiction procedures.

Compounding reconnaissance without increasing human effort is the new leverage point in maritime security.

Operators ignoring autonomous aerial systems risk falling behind in the operational efficiency race. This case proves that embedding specialized, quick-to-deploy drones on cutters converts surveillance from an episodic, constrained resource into a continuous force multiplier capable of unlocking record interdiction outcomes.

The advancement of surveillance technology is a game-changer in maritime security and drug interdiction efforts. For organizations looking to enhance their surveillance capabilities with reliable video monitoring solutions, platforms like Surecam offer practical tools to strengthen real-time situational awareness and operational leverage. Learn more about Surecam →

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do drones improve drug interdiction efforts in maritime operations?

Drones like Shield AI's MQ-35 V-BAT enable persistent surveillance with over 13 hours of flight time, allowing continuous area monitoring while the crew conducts boardings, increasing interdiction efficiency without expanding manpower.

What are the advantages of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drones in maritime surveillance?

VTOL drones can launch and land vertically from moving cutters in winds up to 25 knots, requiring no runway or catapult. This flexibility allows rapid deployment and operations in vast, under-patrolled waters like the eastern Pacific.

How does the MQ-35 V-BAT drone extend the operational reach of Coast Guard cutters?

The MQ-35 V-BAT drone offers persistent reconnaissance with missions up to 13 hours, significantly expanding surveillance beyond the cutter's immediate vicinity without dependence on manned fixed-wing aircraft.

What impact did the Coast Guard Cutter Stone's use of drones have on drug interdiction results?

Using the MQ-35 V-BAT drone, the Coast Guard Cutter Stone conducted 15 interdictions, seizing over 49,000 pounds of cocaine valued at more than $362 million, demonstrating a dramatic increase in interdiction capacity.

Why is surveillance persistence more critical than patrol vessel speed in maritime drug interdiction?

Surveillance persistence allows continuous area monitoring and simultaneous tracking of multiple targets, overcoming limitations of manned aircraft flight time and cutter crew availability during lengthy boardings.

How quickly can the MQ-35 V-BAT drone be deployed onboard a cutter?

Two operators can prepare and launch the MQ-35 V-BAT drone in under 30 minutes, enabling rapid response and maintaining high operational tempo without fixed infrastructure.

What strategic advantages do autonomous drones provide to maritime law enforcement?

Autonomous drones remove human bottlenecks by providing continuous, multi-vector surveillance, allowing simultaneous interdiction and reconnaissance, which multiplies interdiction capacity without increasing crew or aircraft overhead.

Can smaller maritime regions like the Caribbean benefit from drone surveillance technology?

Yes, small drone technology similar to the MQ-35 V-BAT can help regions like the Caribbean overcome coverage gaps by enabling persistent monitoring and enhancing operational leverage against drug smuggling activities.