A jet fighter that stands on its tail, climbs straight up and then flies on horizontally. That is the idea behind X-BAT, Shield AI’s uncrewed combat aircraft. The runway disappears from the design; an AI pilot has to handle the complex flying.
The programme now has serious financial backing. Shield AI and the US government have announced a combined 400 million dollars in investment and commitments. The first flight tests are planned for later in 2026. The report below shows the presentation and the ambitions behind the aircraft.
A combat aircraft without an airfield
The X-BAT design figures fire the imagination: a 39-foot wingspan, almost twelve metres, and a maximum range of more than 2,000 nautical miles, well over 3,700 kilometres. These are design targets that the flight tests still have to prove.
Shield AI wants an aircraft that can operate from ships, islands and remote sites. That brings a practical advantage: a damaged runway no longer has to ground a group of aircraft straight away. The aircraft can be dispersed across more locations.
The exhaust is a key part of the flight control
Making such a large aircraft fly vertically takes far more than a powerful engine. The direction of the thrust has to be controlled precisely. For this, X-BAT gets a GE Aerospace F110-GE-129E with a vectoring AVEN nozzle.
In July 2026 the companies reported that the engine and nozzle had been tested together on the ground. By moving the exhaust, the system can direct the thrust. That should help keep the aircraft in the right attitude during vertical take-off and landing.
There is a surprising piece of aviation history in it. AVEN technology was originally developed for tests with an F-16 in the 1990s. For X-BAT, that experience is being adapted to a new task: flying a large, uncrewed aircraft without a runway.
Hivemind takes the pilot’s seat
The flight-control software is called Hivemind. Shield AI is developing it for aircraft that must navigate and carry out tasks on their own, even when GPS is jammed or communications are limited. An operator issues instructions at mission level, instead of controlling every movement with a control stick.
That matters for an aircraft that has to depart from remote locations. A reliable data link cannot be taken for granted there. The AI must be able to fly the mission within the limits and instructions the system is given.
Work on the test aircraft is already under way
According to the announcement of 8 October, around 500 engineers from Shield AI and its suppliers are working on the programme. Shield AI is matching the latest government contribution of 150 million dollars with the same amount. Together with earlier contributions, the announced total comes to 400 million dollars.
The engine trials and wind-tunnel tests are steps towards the first flight. After that, it has to become clear how the aircraft behaves during the transition from vertical to horizontal flight. That very transition is what makes the design so interesting: one machine has to master two very different ways of flying.
Software and jet engine come together
X-BAT shows how the role of software in aviation is growing. The aircraft is designed from the outset around autonomous control and dispersed operations. Its unusual shape is therefore not a gimmick, but a consequence of the way Shield AI intends to use it.
The most important footage has yet to be shot: the test aircraft actually leaving the ground. Until then, it remains a development programme with a striking combination of proven engine technology, a vectoring nozzle and a digital pilot.
