The U.S. Navy signed a $150 million modification to an existing Other Transaction agreement with Shield AI to advance the X-BAT, the company’s AI-piloted vertical takeoff and landing fighter drone, under the Pentagon’s Defense Exportability Features program. Shield AI is matching the Navy’s $150 million with its own capital. Combined with an earlier $50 million government commitment under the Runway Independent Maritime Expeditionary Strike (RIMES) program, which the company also matched, total funding now stands at $400 million, the company said.
X-BAT is a 26-foot tail-sitter with a 39-foot wingspan that takes off vertically, transitions to conventional flight, and lands back on its launcher. Shield AI claims a range exceeding 2,000 nautical miles and expects supersonic flight. The aircraft is controlled by Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy software, which the company has previously demonstrated in a modified F-16 that dogfought human pilots. Flight testing of full-scale prototypes is scheduled to begin later this year, with “mission capability” slated for 2028.
If it enters service, X-BAT would let the Navy operate combat aircraft from Expeditionary Sea Base ships and other vessels without catapults or arrestor gear, expanding strike options beyond carriers and amphibious assault ships. The export angle is built in from the start: the award runs through the Pentagon’s Defense Exportability Features program, and Britain’s Royal Navy is evaluating X-BAT as a candidate for its Project VANQUISH program, which seeks combat drones for its Queen Elizabeth-class carriers.