The Navy Put $50 Million Into Shield AI's X-BAT. It Has Not Flown Yet.
A $50 million award pushes Shield AI's 22,000-pound VTOL jet toward ships with no flight deck, on the strength of ground tests rather than flight time.
A $50 million award pushes Shield AI's 22,000-pound VTOL jet toward ships with no flight deck, on the strength of ground tests rather than flight time.
The Navy and the Defense Innovation Unit awarded Shield AI $50 million to advance its X-BAT combat drone under the Runway Independent Maritime Expeditionary Strike program, the service said on Aug. 13, calling it an investment to rapidly scale its unmanned aviation portfolio. The award expands work led by the Portfolio Acquisition Executive Rapid Capability Cell.
DIU and the Navy launched RIMES in February to find runway-independent long-range drones that either fly one-way attack missions or return after delivering a munition, Defense Daily noted. The aircraft are meant to take off vertically from ships as large as a carrier or as small as a destroyer, run a long-range strike, then recover aboard.
X-BAT is a 22,000-pound flying wing powered by a GE Aerospace F110 with a thrust-vectoring nozzle, paired with a mobile rail system for vertical launch and recovery, Aviation Week wrote. Shield AI puts its range near 2,000 nautical miles with a full payload and says three airframes fit the deck space of one legacy fighter. Its Hivemind software flies the aircraft in GPS- and communications-denied conditions. Those performance figures come from the company, not a Navy datasheet.
No flight has been reported. Shield AI unveiled the aircraft in October 2025 and completed integration, actuation and engine light-off testing of the vectoring nozzle with GE Aerospace on July 20. A first flight is expected before the end of 2026, per Tech Times.
RIMES has already funded a competing shape. A Mach Industries and Whisper Aero team won an award in June for the near-VTOL Atlas, a 6,000-pound aircraft with a 1,000-pound payload and hybrid-electric ducted thrusters set into the wing leading edges. X-BAT is at least the second long-range VTOL project to draw money from the maritime service, Aviation Week added.
Last month the Navy asked industry for ship-based strike concepts reaching at least 1,000 nautical miles, seeking extended range and payload "while minimizing deck footprint and integrating with established CVN infrastructure," according to the Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Aviation.
Two funded answers to the same requirement now differ by 16,000 pounds in gross weight. The heavier one holds $50 million and no flight time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the RIMES program?
Runway Independent Maritime Expeditionary Strike, launched by the Defense Innovation Unit and the Navy in February 2026 to find runway-independent long-range drones that either fly one-way attack missions or return after delivering a munition, per Defense Daily.
What is the X-BAT?
A 22,000-pound flying-wing uncrewed combat aircraft powered by a GE Aerospace F110 engine with a thrust-vectoring nozzle, using a mobile rail system for vertical launch and recovery, according to Aviation Week. Shield AI says its Hivemind software flies it in GPS- and communications-denied conditions.
Has the X-BAT flown?
No flight has been reported. Shield AI unveiled the aircraft in October 2025 and completed engine light-off and vectoring-nozzle testing with GE Aerospace on July 20, 2026. A first flight is expected before the end of 2026, per Tech Times.
Why does the Navy want a VTOL strike aircraft?
To put fixed-wing strike on ships without carrier flight decks. Aviation Week reported the aircraft are intended to launch vertically from vessels as large as a carrier or expeditionary sea base, or as small as a destroyer, then recover aboard after a long-range mission.
Is Shield AI the only company funded under RIMES?
No. A Mach Industries and Whisper Aero team won a RIMES award in June for the near-VTOL Atlas, a 6,000-pound aircraft with a 1,000-pound payload and hybrid-electric ducted thrusters in the wing leading edges, per Aviation Week.
How reliable are the X-BAT's stated specifications?
The range and deck-footprint figures come from Shield AI rather than a government datasheet, so they remain company claims until flight-test data or a Navy source confirms them. The 22,000-pound gross weight was reported by Aviation Week.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
Marcus Schuler
Marcus Schuler edits BattlePolicy, a daily defense-technology brief connecting the companies and capabilities behind modern war to the contest among Europe, the US, Russia, and China.