U.S. defense technology company Shield AI has developed an AI-piloted fighter jet called X-BAT, designed to operate autonomously.
“At Shield AI, we believe the greatest victory requires no war. To make that belief real, we’re executing a simple but ambitious master plan: prove the value of autonomy, scale it across domains, and reimagine airpower,” said former Navy SEAL Brandon Tseng, Shield AI co-founder and president. “X-BAT represents the next part of that plan, expanding U.S. and allied warfighting capacity through a transformative, runway-independent aircraft. Airpower without runways is the holy grail of deterrence. It gives our forces persistence, reach, and survivability, and it buys diplomacy another day.”
The AI software, called Hivemind, allows the jet to “autonomously penetrate contested battlespace, dynamically team with manned aircraft, and execute collaborative tactics without constant communications,” the company explained.
Fox News reports that the X-BAT will be combat-ready by 2029. Shield AI’s senior vice president of aircraft, Armor Harris, told the outlet that the fighter jet “presents an asymmetric dilemma to an adversary like China.”
“They don’t know where it’s coming from, and the cost of countering it is high,” he said. “It’s an important part of a broader joint force that becomes significantly more lethal.”
Harris noted that China has developed an “anti-access aerial denial bubble that holds our runways at risk.” The new aircraft, however, thwarts this plan.
Meanwhile, Israel is on track to deploy one of the first combat-ready laser air-defense systems, according to reports. The system, called the Iron Beam, is capable of combating rockets, drones, and mortars with light.
