Overview
- Revealed in Washington, D.C., the Group 5 X-BAT is pitched to fly without runways, carry munitions in an internal bay, and operate in GPS- and communications-denied conditions either solo or as a loyal wingman.
- Shield AI displayed a scale model and said production and propulsion partners will be named in the coming weeks, emphasizing that performance claims have not yet been flight-validated.
- Company timelines target initial vertical takeoffs and landings as early as fall 2026, followed by all-up flight testing and operational validation in 2028.
- Reporting links Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy to an Air Force CCA prototype effort and the company says X-BAT aligns with Air Force and Navy concepts, though the Air Force has not confirmed subcontractor selections.
- Shield AI cites a per-aircraft cost around $27–30 million and external reporting pegs total program costs near $1 billion, as the firm markets X-BAT as a multirole, attritable platform with expeditionary launch-and-recovery from trailers, ships, or austere sites.