X-BAT. One year from reveal to first full-scale prototype.
Our autonomous VTOL fighter jet now moves into tests to prove vertical takeoff and landing, with the goal of giving U.S. and allied forces more places to operate without a runway.
@RocketArmor, our SVP of Aircraft Engineering, shares how our team met that timeline and what comes next, from engine runs to flight tests.
Full blog: https://t.co/JWxaJkqEpL
Autonomy for the world. The greatest victory requires no war.
— Shield (@shieldaitech) November 4, 2026
The prototype is expected to move from Shield’s facility in Frisco, Texas, to Newton City-County Airport in Kansas for flight tests. Shield expects it to fly by the end of 2026, with a fully equipped aircraft due to make its first flight in 2028 and production possible in 2029 if customers place orders.
The X-BAT has no conventional landing gear and is designed to take off from a deployable launcher. The prototype has a revised wing shape and a thrust-vectoring exhaust nozzle that extends farther aft than on earlier models.
Shield says the aircraft is designed to fly missions independently or alongside crewed fighters such as the F-35. The U.S. Navy allocated $200 million to the project in 2026 under its Runway Independent Maritime Expeditionary Strike program.
The X-BAT is expected to use a GE Aerospace F110-GE-129 turbofan and have a maximum range of about 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers). Shield says the production aircraft will differ from the current prototypes.
