Shield AI says its first full-scale X-BAT is headed to flight test

On November 4, Shield AI said its first full-scale X-BAT prototype is complete and on its way from a development site in Frisco, Texas, to a flight test facility in Newton, Kansas. The company calls X-BAT the world's first autonomous vertical-takeoff strike fighter. It said the design was shared one year ago.

The first full-scale X-BAT prototype is complete and on its way from Frisco, Texas, to Newton, Kansas. Shield AI said the build took a year. Over that year, the company said, work with U.S. government specialists included wind tunnel testing, engine testing, and thermal testing.

The company is sizing it as a multi-role aircraft. Shield AI said X-BAT is meant to carry strike weapons inside and outside the airframe, and to fly air-to-air, electronic warfare, and other missions. It said the aircraft uses an F110 engine with thrust vectoring. The company did not give a wingspan, a weight, or a weapons load.

Shield AI compared it with smaller Air Force aircraft. The company said X-BAT is twice the size of Increment 1 collaborative combat aircraft, which it described as smaller jets focused on air-to-air combat. It said X-BAT can also fly air-to-ground missions and carries more sensors. Those size and mission claims are the company's, not a measured comparison published with figures.

The next work is launch and recovery. Shield AI said the current test phase is proving vertical takeoff and landing, and widening that operating envelope. It said it aims to fly a missionized aircraft in 2028 and to start production in 2029. The post does not give a date for the first engine run or the first untethered flight.