US Navy bets another $150M on fighter drone that skips the runway
American defense biz Shield AI says combined US government funding and its own investment commitments have reached $400 million to advance its autonomous vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) fighter drone toward flight testing.
The X-BAT aircraft was unveiled at an event in Washington DC last year for an audience of military leaders.
According to Shield AI, the US Navy has committed an additional $150 million on top of earlier funding for the project.
The company is stumping up a further $150 million of its own capital, and previously secured $50 million under the Runway Independent Maritime Expeditionary Strike (RIMES) program, which it had also matched.
X-BAT is scheduled to begin flight testing later this year, with "mission capability" slated for 2028.
It is intended to provide naval commanders with long-range strike assets capable of taking off and landing vertically from almost anywhere, doing away with the need for a runway.
If it does come into service, the latter capability means that the US Navy would be able to operate combat aircraft from more than just its giant carriers like the USS Gerald R.
Ford or the Navy's amphibious assault ships that carry Marine Corps F-35B fighters.
It could also operate them from vessels such as the Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB), as shown in the image.
X-BAT is 26 ft (7.92 m) long and has a 39 ft (11.9 m) wingspan.
Shield AI claims a range exceeding 2,000 nautical miles and expects it to be capable of supersonic flight.
The aircraft is designed as a tail-sitter, taking off vertically before leveling off for normal flight, and landing vertically back on its launcher after the mission is over.
It will be controlled by Shield AI's Hivemind autonomy software, which has already been demonstrated in a modified F-16 fighter jet that took part in dogfights against human pilots a couple of years ago.
"X-BAT is being built to enhance the lethality, survivability and combat power of US Naval Aviation," says J.J.
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