A year of X-BAT development, on the floor at International Fighter Conference
Since we announced X-BAT last year, we've completed engine light off, thrust vectoring nozzle integration, and wind tunnel validation of the weapons bay, clearing the path to flight testing. Our team brought the latest development to Defence iQ's IFC 2026: X-BAT 001.
Ryan Tseng 🇺🇸 revealed the first full-scale prototype of our autonomous VTOL strike fighter. Todd Wesley and Andrew Hawkes MSc covered how we build autonomy that commanders can trust and air power that doesn't rely on runways. More on X-BAT coming soon.
Autonomy for the world. The greatest victory requires no war.
Why this matters for talent
Shield AI gave a development update on its X BAT program, reporting engine light off, thrust vectoring nozzle integration, and wind tunnel validation completed over the past year. Shield AI lists 651 open roles on the board, one of the largest counts in the defense vertical, and a hardware program advancing through these integration milestones typically sustains demand for propulsion, flight controls, and systems engineering talent. This is a solid signal for candidates targeting autonomous defense aircraft work.
Read the original LinkedIn post. Curated by Larry Sherwood Jr. from company announcements; analysis above is my own.