Shield AI unveils X-BAT, an autonomous fighter jet able to take off vertically

No crew and no runway: Shield AI, an American defense tech company, has unveiled a new AI-driven unmanned fighter that is capable of vertical takeoffs and landings. The firm is pitching its new product to the US and allied air forces.

Of course, the autonomous AI-powered fighter jet could simply be called a drone. But it’s an advanced version, designed for expeditionary and maritime operations in contested environments, Shield AI said.

The X-BAT doesn’t need any runways to take off and land, and could thus transform the way US and allied air forces wage air warfare in the future. At least this is what Shield AI is betting on.

“Airpower without runways is the holy grail of deterrence,” Shield AI co-founder and president Brandon Tseng said in the statement.

“It gives our forces persistence, reach, and survivability, and it buys diplomacy another day.”

The X-BAT fighter jet uses the company’s Hivemand software as its autonomous core (the “brain”).

Hivemind enables the drone to “autonomously penetrate contested battlespace, dynamically team with manned aircraft, and execute collaborative tactics without constant communications,” Shield AI’s press release reads.

The same platform powered a modified F-16 fighter jet, called X-62A VISTA, in dogfights against human pilots last year.

According to Shield AI, X-BAT – still in development – has a range of more than 2,000 nautical miles while fully armed. This capability would allow it to strike from ships, islands, or austere sites that don’t have prepared runways, which are usually a priority target for enemy forces.

The autonomous capability would allow X-BAT to act as a drone wingman – a concept which the Air Force calls collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) – or on its own.

At 26 ft long and with a 39 ft wingspan, X-BAT is about half the size of an F-35 fighter jet. Its first flight is scheduled for next year, with production planned for 2029. Cost is unclear, but Shield AI says it’s less than the cost of crewed fighter jets.

The company has not named any customers interested in X-BAT, but one potential buyer is the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy. Earlier this month, the Navy issued a Request for Information for Project VANQUISH — a technical demonstration of an autonomous drone capable of sea-based takeoff and landing, with completion expected by the end of 2026.

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