Shield AI Completes First Full-Scale X-BAT Prototype, Targets 2029 Production

Shield AI says it has completed the first full-scale prototype of its autonomous X-BAT fighter jet and is shipping the aircraft from Frisco, Texas, to a flight-test facility in Newton, Kansas. The move supports plans to begin testing vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities at the site. Shield AI said it progressed from initial design to a completed prototype in about one year, citing accelerated development and close work with U.S. government partners, including wind tunnel testing, engine evaluations and thermal assessments. X-BAT is designed as a larger, multi-mission aircraft able to carry weapons internally and externally for air-to-air combat, electronic warfare and strike missions. Engine runs and progressively more advanced vertical tests are targeted, with a mission-equipped flight in 2028 and production in 2029.