Navy Doubles Down On X-BAT VTOL ‘Fighter’ Drone Development

Key Points:

• Shield AI plans to roll out the first prototypes of its X-BAT jet-powered stealth fighter drone by the end of October, with flight testing scheduled before the end of 2024 under the U.S. Navy’s RIMES program aiming for early operational capability by 2029.
• The X-BAT drone features a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) tail-sitting design powered by a General Electric F110 engine with thrust-vectoring nozzles, and is designed for multi-role missions including strike, air-to-air combat, and electronic warfare.
• Shield AI has secured $200 million in Navy and Pentagon funding for X-BAT development, matched by $200 million in internal investment, totaling $400 million, and is building dedicated test and production facilities in Kansas and Washington.
• The drone’s launch and recovery system is a self-propelled vehicle enabling shoot-and-scoot tactics and operational survivability, allowing X-BAT to operate dispersed on land and from various ships, increasing naval air wing capacity without displacing crewed aircraft on carriers.
• Despite ambitious performance goals and a tight timeline, questions remain about the viability of X-BAT’s VTOL capability and the Navy’s broader drone strategy; Shield AI is also exploring pitching X-BAT to the U.S. Army as a successor to existing armed drones.