This AI-powered fighter jet doesn’t need a pilot… or a runway
Shield AI introduced on October 21, 2025 X-BAT stealth fighter jet. As expected from a company specializing in artificial intelligence, X-BAT is also an autonomous aircraft that the company plans to fly with its own autonomy software. As if that wasn’t enough, Shield AI celebrated “Back to the Future” Day and said: “Roads? Where are we going, we don’t need roads.”
Or apparently runways.
Shield AI is an aerospace and defense technology startup based in San Diego. The company was founded in 2015 by Andrew Reiter, Ryan Tseng and former Navy SEAL Brandon Tseng. Since then, Shield AI has been contracted by the Air Force, U.S. Special Operations Command and foreign militaries to provide autonomy and unmanned aerial systems.
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Shawn Ryan and Brandon Tseng with X-BAT in Ryan’s yard (Shawn Ryan via X)
Before X-BAT, Shield AI’s most notable product was: MQ-35 V-BAT. V-BAT, whose contract was signed by the Navy in 2021, is an unmanned, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aerial reconnaissance vehicle. Using Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT can operate in environments where GPS and communications are blocked and has achieved drone swarm capabilities. The platform is used in Ukraine. Shield AI opened an office supporting the country’s autonomous drone fleet.
A scale model, not a production model, was created by Shield AI. Still, the company stated that the aircraft will use a jet engine with afterburners and thrust vectoring nozzles to achieve a maneuvering load factor in excess of 4G. The X-BAT uses a hybrid wing and fuselage design with a wingspan of 39 metres.
X-BAT promises unique reconnaissance capabilities (Shield AI)
Shield AI claims the X-BAT will have a range of over 2,000 nautical miles. An internal weapons bay for air-to-air and air-to-ground ordnance will allow the drone to maintain its stealth profile, but external hardpoints can be used to carry larger ordnance and specialized equipment for surveillance and electronic warfare. X-BAT’s VTOL batch piece will be achieved through a launch and recovery vehicle. Three X-BATs configured for transport fit into the deck space of a single legacy fighter jet.
X-BAT is planned to perform its first vertical takeoffs and landings as early as Fall 2026; Shield AI plans to achieve full operational validation in 2028 and production next year. Industry partnerships aimed at achieving these goals, including full-scale production, were unveiled by Shield AI at the launch event. Pricing was not specified, but Shield AI mentioned the multi-role capabilities of the globally popular F-16 as a selling point for the X-BAT in the near future.
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