Overview
- Revealed at a private Washington, D.C., event, X‑BAT is pitched to fly as a loyal wingman or as an independent combat aircraft using Shield AI’s Hivemind software.
- Shield AI targets initial vertical takeoff and landing demonstrations by fall 2026, with all‑up flight testing and operational validation in 2028.
- The company cites a roughly 2,000‑nautical‑mile range, modular payloads for strike, counter‑air, ISR, and electronic warfare, and runway‑independent operations from ships or remote sites.
- Executives displayed a scale model and said production and propulsion partners will be announced in the coming weeks; officials described an F‑16‑class engine with thrust vectoring as an option.
- Shield AI is positioning X‑BAT for future Collaborative Combat Aircraft efforts rather than Increment 1, and has claimed an approximate $27 million unit cost.