The American company Shield AI unveiled the first prototype of its X-BAT unmanned fighter on 3 November and announces its first flight later this year. The project is also linked to plans for cooperation with Polish manufacturers.
Prototype Ready Ahead of Schedule
As Aviation Week reports, Shield AI showed footage of airframe serial number 001 on 3 November at the International Fighter Conference in Munich. The aircraft carries civil registration N228XB, and test flights are planned at the company’s base near Wichita, Kansas.
Company CEO and co-founder Ryan Tseng said that two more prototypes will join soon. According to him, the first aircraft was completed ahead of the original schedule. The company wants to accelerate testing before low-rate production in 2028 and initial operational capability in 2029.
What the X-BAT Is
According to the manufacturer’s website, it is an autonomous vertical takeoff and landing fighter. As Aviation Week describes, it is powered by a General Electric F110 afterburning engine that lifts the aircraft vertically before it transitions to horizontal flight. The manufacturer says the aircraft has passed wind tunnel tests and engine trials. In July, GE Aerospace and Shield AI completed an ignition test of the F110 engine with an AVEN vectored nozzle in Ohio, according to Army Recognition.
According to experts quoted by Air & Space Forces Magazine, landing in wind will be crucial, because the wings then act like a sail. The US Navy and DIU have given the company $50 million, while the Air Force is not investing for now, the outlet reports.
The Polish Angle
Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the X-BAT as an „unmanned equivalent of the F-35” and said Shield AI wants to produce the aircraft in Poland too, as Aerospace Global News reports. According to Army Recognition, on 8 September at MSPO in Kielce, Shield AI, PGZ and WZL-2 signed a five-year letter of intent opening negotiations on the project, production, servicing and technology transfer. The drone-warfare.com outlet also reports that on 12 October GE, Shield AI and WZL-2 signed a memorandum on the possibility of servicing F110 and AVEN engines in Poland. We have not confirmed this information in the companies’ statements.
Letters of intent and memoranda do not mean an order or a Ministry of National Defence decision to purchase. Poland operates F-16s and is receiving F-35As, so servicing needs exist regardless of the fate of the X-BAT.
What Comes Next
The timing of the first flight has been given differently at various times: drone-warfare.com reports that the test program after prototype construction includes engine trials, then a tethered hover on a crane, and a first free flight around the turn of the year. As of publication, Shield AI has not given a specific date for the first flight, and the Ministry of National Defence has not announced a purchase decision.
