US EditionTech Company Unveils New AI-Fighter Drone
Shield AI's X-BAT drone offers over 2,000 nautical miles of range and autonomous VTOL stealth capabilities to enhance mission flexibility in contested environments.
- On October 22, 2025, Shield AI unveiled a scale model of the X-BAT in Washington DC before military leaders, elected officials and industry partners, saying it is "upping the ante" with X-BAT.
- Founded in 2015 by Andrew Reiter, Ryan Tseng and Brandon Tseng, Shield AI has won contracts with the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Special Operations Command, building on its V-BAT and Hivemind autonomy software.
- Design details show a stealthy blended wing-body with a 39-foot wingspan, 26-foot fuselage, internal weapons bay, external hard points, and F-16 engine with afterburner enabling over 4G.
- Shield AI says the platform's test schedule hinges on its launch-and-recovery transporter and industry partners teased at the unveiling.
- Shield AI pitches the X-BAT as a force multiplier, noting two prototypes unveiled as a scale model by Shield AI and supporting drone fleets in Ukraine.
28 Articles
28 Articles
This AI-powered fighter jet doesn’t need a pilot… or a runway
On October 21, 2025, Shield AI unveiled its X-BAT stealth fighter drone. As one would expect from a company specializing in artificial intelligence, the X-BAT is also an autonomous aircraft that the company plans to fly with its in-house autonomy software. As if that weren’t enough, Shield AI celebrated “Back to the Future” Day and said, “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need… roads.” Or, apparently, runways. Shield AI is a San Diego-based aer…
Shield AI introduces their new unmanned fighter jet X-Bat. It should have revolutionary technology.
X-BAT VTOL jet could be the real-world batwing we’ve been waiting for - Yanko Design
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnpuNlE3UxU Over the years, the skies of innovation have seen a quiet but steady invasion of VTOLs promising to redefine how we think about flight. From urban air taxis to hybrid combat drones, each concept seemed to inch closer to what once felt like science fiction. But every now and then, a creation comes along
Shield AI has just lifted the sail on the X-BAT, a stealth-fighting drone concept that promises to do without airstrips thanks to its vertical take-off and landing capability.
Shield AI Unveils X-BAT: A VTOL, Stealthy Autonomous Strike Jet
Shield AI unveiled the X-BAT, a tail-sitting, vertical takeoff and landing stealth drone that marries fighter-class propulsion with advanced autonomy. YouTube / Sandboxx The company bills X-BAT as a runway-independent Group 5 unmanned system built to operate in communications-denied environments and to be launched and recovered from a trailer. YouTube / Sandboxx The tailless, cranked-kite flying wing measures about 26 feet long with a 39-foot wi…
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