October this year seems to be the month of launching armed drone systems in the United States. After Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin showed off their latest systems, this week it was Shield AI's turn to launch the X-BAT drone. Like the Lockheed Martin Nomad, the X-BAT is a VTOL Swaterbang drone with the help of an artificial intelligence (AI) system.
The X-BAT is classified as a Group 5 drone with a wingspan of 12 meters and a weight of up to 599 kg. It is equipped with a jet engine with a vertical launch platform designed to be used anywhere. According to Shield-AI, the X-BAT can fly as far as 3704 km to carry out bombing missions, serve as a fighter jet escort with a human pilot or work with other drones under the banner of the US Replicator program.
With its small size, the X-BAT reuses the engine of an F-16 light fighter. Its design is of a type that is difficult to detect by radar with weapons that can be stored in the body. If the mission requires it, weapons can still be placed under the wings. Development of the drone has been underway for the past 18 months with the first flight planned for 2026 and production to begin by 2029.
