Pictured is a Shield AI graphic of future X-BAT fighter drones on their vertical take-off and landing stands.
GE Aerospace‘s F110-GE-129 engine with the Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle (AVEN) is to power Shield AI‘s future X-BAT drone fighter jet, according to a Memorandum of Understanding between the companies.
U.S. Air Force Block 50 and above F-16 fighters by Lockheed Martin and F-15EXs by Boeing have the F110-GE-129, which provides up to 29,500 pounds of force.
“The GE Aerospace F110 engine has more than 11 million flight hours under its wing, the most thrust in its class, and recently celebrated a milestone of 40 years of continuous production and improvement,” according to the company. “The AVEN for X-BAT provides thrust vectoring capability for vertical flight and enhances maneuverability in horizontal flight.”
Shield AI said last month that it plans to conduct initial vertical takeoff and landing demonstrations of X-BAT “as early as fall 2026, followed by all-up flight testing and operational validation in 2028.”
X-BAT is to have a more than 2,000 mile range and to be guided by Shield AI’s Hivemind artificial intelligence software for expeditionary and maritime operations when military forces lack GPS and communications.
The drone is to operate from “ships, remote islands, or austere sites — no runways or tankers needed,” the company said. “This removes reliance on traditionally vulnerable infrastructure, and ensures forces can respond swiftly, even in the most challenging conditions.”
Shield AI said that X-BAT will fit a number of roles, including strike, counter air, electronic warfare, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
“Up to three X-BATs fit in the deck space of one legacy fighter or helicopter, multiplying sortie generation and tempo,” according to Shield AI, adding that X-BAT will be a “fraction of the cost” of traditional fighters.
The development of X-BAT follows Shield AI’s V-BAT, a vertical takeoff and landing autonomous drone which is a program of record for the Marine Corps and is used on Coast Guard National Security Cutters to replace that service’s ScanEagles by Boeing’s Insitu subsidiary.
Shield AI said in June that the V-BAT has flown more than 170 sorties in Ukraine.
The U.S. Defense Department and NATO have not released any reports on the performance of U.S.-built systems, including V-BAT, during the more than three and a half year war in Ukraine.
A version of this story originally appeared in affiliate publication Defense Daily.