> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.battlepolicy.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Shield AI Sends X-BAT 001 to Kansas for Engine Runs Ahead of a Year-End First Flight - URL: https://www.battlepolicy.com/shield-ai-sends-x-bat-001-to-kansas-for-engine-runs-ahead-of-a-year-end-first-flight/ - Published: 2026-11-05T12:50:50.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-05T12:50:50.000Z - Description: The first full-scale X-BAT prototype is built and heading into propulsion and vertical-flight tests, while Shield AI courts European buyers it has yet to name. - Author: Marcus Schuler - Tags: USA, Europe, Autonomy, #daily-brief, Shield AI, X-BAT, Hivemind *The first full-scale* [*X-BAT*](https://www.battlepolicy.com/shield-ai-x-bat/) *prototype is built and heading into propulsion and vertical-flight tests, while Shield AI courts European buyers it has yet to name.* [Shield AI](https://www.battlepolicy.com/shield-ai/) unveiled X-BAT 001, the first full-scale prototype of its tail-sitting autonomous combat jet, in video shown Nov. 3 at the International Fighter Conference in Munich, [Aviation Week](https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircraft-propulsion/shield-ais-x-bat-moves-toward-first-flight?ref=battlepolicy.com) reported. The company plans a first flight before year's end. Built in about 12 months in Frisco, Texas, the aircraft is heading to the company's test site at Newton City-County Airport, Kansas, per a company statement. President and co-founder Ryan Tseng told the conference two more prototypes are expected shortly. The reveal came a day after CEO Gary Steele said the company plans to raise more than billion for production, as BattlePolicy reported Nov. 3. Frequently Asked Questions What is X-BAT 001? The first full-scale prototype of Shield AI's tail-sitting, vertical takeoff and landing autonomous combat jet, shown in video on Nov. 3 at the International Fighter Conference in Munich, per Aviation Week. Has X-BAT flown yet? No. Shield AI plans a first flight before the end of 2026 at its Kansas test site, Aviation Week reported, after horizontal and vertical engine runs and crane-tethered tests. What engine does it use? A GE F110 with an Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle first developed in the 1990s for a thrust-vectoring F-16 test aircraft, per TWZ. Engine light-off and nozzle integration testing was completed at Peebles, Ohio, in July. What does Shield AI say it will cost? Ryan Tseng told Breaking Defense the per-aircraft cost could be brought down to about million, with roughly million more for a higher-end sensor configuration. Who is buying it in Europe? No customer has been named. Tseng told Breaking Defense that European orders and partnership agreements will be announced "soon," and Europe director Andrew Hawkes described "several active" sales campaigns. AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. [More on our AI guidelines](https://www.battlepolicy.com/ai-guidelines/). Read next — from the Lexicon - [Swarmer Platform](https://www.battlepolicy.com/swarmer-platform/) - [RIM-116 RAM](https://www.battlepolicy.com/rim-116-ram/) - [Paveway](https://www.battlepolicy.com/paveway/) Below this point 6 more sections. The prototype carries the F110 engine and the full propulsion path, aircraft engineering chief Armor Harris told [TWZ](https://www.twz.com/news-features/x-bat-vtol-fighter-drone-prototype-unveiled?ref=battlepolicy.com) in October. The design uses an Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle first developed in the 1990s for a thrust-vectoring F-16 test aircraft. Shield AI and GE Aerospace completed engine light-off and nozzle integration testing at Peebles, Ohio, in July. Horizontal engine runs on the launch-and-recovery trailer come first in the sequence Harris outlined. Vertical runs follow, then tests suspended from a crane, then untethered flight. The trailer is meant to let the jet operate from dispersed land sites and ship decks without runways. Sustained operation of the F110 in a vertical attitude is one concern, by Aviation Week's account. Shield AI worked with GE on modifications to the engine's oil pump and sump, Tseng said. A jet blast deflector in the trailer is to manage deck heat, and recoveries would run without afterburner. The company targets low-rate production in 2028 and an initial operational capability in 2029. Shield AI projects a 1,000-nautical-mile combat radius and up to 6,000 pounds of payload. Both remain design targets ahead of flight testing. European orders and partnership agreements will be announced "soon," Tseng told [Breaking Defense](https://breakingdefense.com/2026/11/shield-ai-cofounder-teases-snowball-of-x-bat-fighter-drone-announcements-in-europe/?ref=battlepolicy.com) on Nov. 4, declining to give quantities. Europe director Andrew Hawkes described "several active" sales campaigns but named no customers. Tseng said the per-aircraft cost could be brought down to about million, with roughly million more for a higher-end sensor fit. The hardware now exists and the test sequence is public. With European orders still unnamed, the next checks are the Kansas engine runs and a first flight by year's end.