Overview
- Shield AI has completed X‑BAT 001, its first full‑scale autonomous combat aircraft prototype, and transported it from its Frisco, Texas facility to the company’s X‑Forge 2 flight test site in Newton, Kansas for testing.
- Engineers will follow a stepwise test plan beginning with horizontal engine runs, then vertical‑thrust checks, crane‑supported early flight trials and finally untethered flights to reduce risk to the prototype.
- The design uses a GE F110‑GE‑129E turbofan paired with an Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle (AVEN) to steer thrust for vertical takeoff and landing and Shield AI intends to run the nozzle and engine through full integration checks.
- Shield AI plans to operate X‑BAT with its Hivemind autonomy software to allow missions in GPS‑ or communications‑degraded environments while the company’s public performance claims for range and internal payload remain unverified until flight demonstrations.
- Recent U.S. Navy and company investments and early talks on European production and sales are accelerating testing and production planning, with Shield AI targeting wider manufacturing and export arrangements after prototype validation.