Neither a “collaborative wingman” nor a “dispensable” UCAV – what the US company Shield AI presented a few days ago in Washington D.C. is intended to open a completely new chapter in air combat technology: the X-BAT, a fully autonomous, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) combat aircraft.
Although the model presented was still a mock-up on a scale of two thirds of the planned end product, the target parameters are ambitious: From 2027/28, the X-BAT should be ready for use as a fully-fledged, unmanned VTOL fighter jet – optimized for highly contested airspace where runways are unavailable or destroyed.
Predestined for expedition operations
The concept envisages a range of over 2,000 nautical miles (around 3,700 kilometers) and operational altitudes of over 50,000 feet (a good 15,000 meters). Powered by an F100 afterburner engine, the jet is designed to reach almost supersonic speeds, with the focus on range and endurance according to the manufacturer.
For the US Armed Forces Shield AI is promoting the X-BAT as an ideal platform for expeditionary missions, maritime operations and deployment on island bases – with a clear focus on the Western Pacific and the scenario of a conflict with China.
Who is behind Shield AI?
Founded in San Diego in 2015, Shield AI is considered one of the most dynamic start-ups in the US defense and aviation industry. It was founded by brothers Brandon and Baron Tseng – the latter is now CEO – and Andrew Reiter. Their approach follows the principle of “agile innovation”, as known from tech pioneers such as Elon Musk (Space X) or Palmer Luckey (Anduril): young, unconventional, fast – and deliberately positioned as a counter-model to the large, sluggish US defense companies.
There are also personnel links to this new generation of high-tech companies: The chief engineer of the X-BAT, Armor Harris, originally comes from Space X and brings with him the experience he gained there in drive technology and system integration.
Shield AI already has a ready-to-use product – the V-BAT, a vertical take-off reconnaissance and surveillance system that has already proven itself in operational use in Ukraine and other countries.
At the heart of the technology, however, is the AI “pilot” Hivemind – a software platform that enables autonomous navigation and decision-making. Hivemind also works without GPS or a data connection, can control several systems simultaneously and thus enables complex, coordinated operations – the decisive technological advantage of Shield AI over many of its competitors.
X-BAT has the advantage – four arguments against manned jets
Armor Harris presented the core philosophy behind Shield AI’s vertical take-off fighter X-BAT in Washington and summarized its advantages in four clear points. His message: nothing less than a revolution in air combat power – more flexibility for its own forces, but at the same time new problems for the enemy.
The four core advantages:
- Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL): X-BAT can operate from warships, islands, harbors and improvised areas – exactly where conventional airfields are missing or destroyed.
- Multi-purpose capability: The concept envisages a platform that can cover different task profiles (reconnaissance, combat, maritime operations) instead of maintaining specialized individual vehicles.
- Architecture for AI pilots: The aircraft is designed from the ground up for autonomous missions with an AI pilot such as Hivemind – not just as a retrofit, but as an integrated system.
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Significantly lower life cycle costs: Shield AI claims life cycle costs that are up to ten times lower than fifth-generation aircraft – a key selling point in times of tight budgets.
Why this is relevant
Harris points to a practical problem of modern air forces: in current war scenarios, significantly more aircraft are lost on the ground than in air combat. Examples from recent conflicts show how ground-based attacks and low-cost drone strategies (
What options remain?
Harris mentions the classic countermeasures – expensive bunkers, increased tanker chains or even larger, more expensive aircraft – and thus shows the strategic dilemma: either you protect expensive assets with similarly expensive means, or you rethink the platforms themselves. X-BAT is Shield AI’s answer to the latter: decentralized, enduring, autonomous – and more budget-friendly.
Only field tests and operational deployments will show whether practice confirms theory. However, the shift in discourse towards autonomous, VTOL-capable platforms is real – and poses new tactical and ethical questions for planners.
Expeditionary VTOL deployment – the way out of the cost trap
Shield AI believes that expeditionary vertical take-off and landing is the key to breaking through the strategic constraints and rising cost curve of modern air warfare. Instead of relying on large, centralized bases, a VTOL concept distributes air power close to the theater of operations – closer to the front lines and therefore harder for the enemy to plan and attack.
The X-BAT was specifically developed so that it can not only take off and land vertically, but is also mobile on the road. This allows short turnaround times between landing, redeployment and relaunch. Operating within the enemy’s target and reaction window significantly increases survivability on the ground – because movement is protection.
Harris emphasizes another point: X-BAT reduces dependence on tanker aircraft because many missions can be launched from the immediate combat zone. Expensive, stationary protective structures are also no longer necessary in many scenarios – the platform protects itself through displacement and dispersion, not concrete.
Force projection without carrier limitation
At sea, VTOL capability relieves the pressure on aircraft carriers: deck space is scarce and expensive. Vertical take-off aircraft allow the power projection of other ship types within a fleet – from helicopter carriers to smaller littoral combat ships, and in theory even cargo or container ships. Harris gives specific dimensions: Marine Corps helicopter carriers could therefore accommodate dozens of X-BATs – enough to surpass the striking power of entire air forces.
Thanks to its long range, the initial ship can remain outside of immediate threat zones and therefore does not need to be packed with complex and expensive self-protection systems. The combination of mobility, range and autonomous control promises a more flexible, more resilient and more cost-efficient form of air power – provided the technology withstands the practical test.
Design revolution in detail – X-BAT breaks with classic VTOL concepts
According to chief engineer Armor Harris, the X-BAT relies on a radically simplified propulsion concept: at the center of the aircraft sits an F-16-class engine with an afterburner and a thrust vectoring nozzle that originally came from an F-15 test program in the late 1990s. This system eliminates many of the design weaknesses that characterized earlier VTOL designs.
Compared to the F-35B, for example, whose complex lift-fan system not only reduces fuel volume and payload, but also limits operational flexibility, the X-BAT does not require a secondary lift system. The result: less complexity, greater efficiency and more space for fuel – in other words, greater range.
The tailless design also offers an optimized lift-to-drag ratio, while the powerful engine in the compact airframe ensures high climbing performance and extreme altitudes. Harris sums it up: “The X-BAT will be one of the highest and fastest aircraft in the sky.” At the same time, the design is stealth-capable by design and has a low signature – crucial for survival in modern air combat.
In another appearance, Shield AI CEO Baron Tseng, himself a former Navy Seal, explained the special features of the concept to US video blogger Shawn Ryan.
Although Shield AI is a pioneer in AI-controlled aircraft with its Hivemind software, it is by no means alone: a modified F-16 was already trained using artificial intelligence in the X-62A VISTA program – still with a backup pilot, but already capable of conducting aerial combat against manned opponents.
Europe is also working intensively on similar technologies. Saab-test pilot and ESA astronaut Marcus Wandt, Senior Vice President at Saab since a few daysreported on the Centaur AI pilot from Helsingwho is in the “AI Gripen” is being tested. His assessment: “In future, it will no longer be a given that a human will be able to hold their own against an AI in aerial combat – it will learn within a few hours of flying what humans need decades for.”
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The difference: while systems such as Centaur have so far operated cooperatively, Shield AI is pursuing a consistently autonomous operational philosophy with the X-BAT – a leap that could fundamentally change air warfare.
Whether the US armed forces or their allies will actually go down this path remains to be seen. But brothers Baron and Brandon Tseng are convinced that AI-controlled, vertical take-off fighter jets will permanently transform the way air power is thought of and used.
