--- title: Shield AI's X-BAT: the runway-free AI fighter jet description: Shield AI and GE Aerospace have completed engine light-off testing for the X-BAT, an AI-piloted vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) strike aircraft. The key... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/shield-ai-s-x-bat-the-runway-free-ai-fighter-jet-1ukrqzdrp twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Shield AI's X-BAT: the runway-free AI fighter jet | daily.dev og:description: Shield AI and GE Aerospace have completed engine light-off testing for the X-BAT, an AI-piloted vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) strike aircraft. The key... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/shield-ai-s-x-bat-the-runway-free-ai-fighter-jet-1ukrqzdrp og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/1UkRQZDRP.png og:image:alt: Shield AI's X-BAT: the runway-free AI fighter jet og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Shield AI's X-BAT: the runway-free AI fighter jet **[The Next Web](https://daily.dev/sources/tnw)** · 3 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Shield AI and GE Aerospace have completed engine light-off testing for the X-BAT, an AI-piloted vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) strike aircraft. The key component is a refurbished Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle (AVEN) originally developed for an experimental F-16 program in the 1990s, now integrated with GE's F110-GE-129E engine. The X-BAT runs on Shield AI's Hivemind autonomy software, can operate without GPS or communications, carries weapons up to 2,000-pound class, and claims a 1,000 nautical mile combat radius. This was a ground test only — actual flight testing is planned for later in 2025. The aircraft raises broader questions about autonomous weapons and military AI ethics. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Shield AI shows off jet-powered VTOL combat drone](https://daily.dev/posts/shield-ai-shows-off-jet-powered-vtol-combat-drone-hccazvu8w) · The Register · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [DARPA, U.S. Air Force fly AI-controlled F-16](https://daily.dev/posts/darpa-u-s-air-force-fly-ai-controlled-f-16-vcembefgv) · Hacker News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Boeing upgrades Ghost Bat to compete with Helsing in Germany](https://daily.dev/posts/boeing-upgrades-ghost-bat-to-compete-with-helsing-in-germany-ucj4yqm0y) · The Next Web · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Ultralightweight sonar plus AI lets tiny drones navigate like bats](https://daily.dev/posts/ultralightweight-sonar-plus-ai-lets-tiny-drones-navigate-like-bats-lidedy8w3) · Robohub · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [The Batcomputer Copilot: How I Built a WayneTech Decision Engine for Emergency Logistics](https://daily.dev/posts/the-batcomputer-copilot-how-i-built-a-waynetech-decision-engine-for-emergency-logistics-trujucpgy) · Medium · 1 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#autonomous-systems](https://daily.dev/tags/autonomous-systems) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/shield-ai-s-x-bat-the-runway-free-ai-fighter-jet-1ukrqzdrp) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Shield AI's X-BAT: the runway-free AI fighter jet","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/shield-ai-s-x-bat-the-runway-free-ai-fighter-jet-1ukrqzdrp","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/shield-ai-s-x-bat-the-runway-free-ai-fighter-jet-1ukrqzdrp"},"datePublished":"2026-07-22T12:40:10.294Z","dateModified":"2026-07-22T12:40:28.318Z","description":"Shield AI and GE Aerospace have completed engine light-off testing for the X-BAT, an AI-piloted vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) strike aircraft. 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