Shield AI unveils X-BAT VTOL collaborative combat aircraft concept

US aerospace and defence technology house Shield AI unveiled a new AI-piloted, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) concept called the X-BAT in Washington, DC, on 21 October 2025.

Designed for expeditionary and maritime operations in contested environments, the X-BAT is a low-observable tailless CCA that features folding wings and is launched from a trailer with a vertical launch rail that is also used to recover the aircraft. It is therefore runway independent, allowing it to be launched from austere forward bases, without the need for the traditional infrastructure required by conventional manned aircraft, or from naval platforms.

The X-BAT is propelled by what Shield AI described as a “proven fighter-class [jet] powertrain to ensure reliability, maintainability, and logistics maturity” and is controlled by Shield AI’s Hivemind AI-enabled autonomy software, which is designed to fly platforms in communications-denied and -degraded environments.

“Hivemind enables X-BAT to autonomously penetrate contested battlespace, dynamically team with manned aircraft and execute collaborative tactics without constant communications. This autonomy allows X-BAT to function as a drone wingman or as a standalone asset,” Shield stated in a press release.

The company states that the X-BAT’s design “combines survivability, flexibility and affordability in a way that provides unparalleled cost per effect to the joint force”, adding that it is the “only platform in its class to combine VTOL with a range of more than 2,000 nautical miles [3,704 km] with full mission payload, enabling theater-scale operations from ships, islands, and austere sites”.

The X-BAT is intended to perform a range of roles, including strike, counter-air, electronic warfare, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. According to Shield AI, it is “built to deliver fighter-class performance at an order-of-magnitude lower acquisition and lifecycle cost than fifth-generation jets”.

Regarding its footprint, Shield AI states that “up to three X–BATs fit in the deck space of one legacy fighter or helicopter, multiplying sortie generation and tempo”.

Armor Harris, senior vice president of aircraft at Shield AI, was quoted in a company press release as stating, “X-BAT is a revolution in airpower because it combines four things: VTOL, range, multirole capability, and autonomy. VTOL plus range solves survivability on the ground and dependency on tankers. Multirole provides critical flexibility as the threat evolves because no plan survives first contact with the enemy. X-BAT’s ability to autonomously operate standalone or collaboratively allows it to project power when other assets aren’t around and simplifies kill chains.”

As a substantially sized aircraft that is around 8 m long, the X-BAT is vaguely reminiscent of the turboprop-powered Convair XFY-1 Pogo and Lockheed XFV manned experimental ‘tailsitter’ prototypes developed in the 1950s. However, as an attritable unmanned platform with significant range, controlled by AI, the time might have come for such a design.

According to reporting by The War Zone website, Shield AI has been developing the X-BAT for about 18 months and is looking to conduct demonstrator flights in the second half of 2026 to prove out the VTOL capabilities, with more comprehensive flight demonstrations in 2028.