Shield AI X-BAT jet VTOL tail-sitter fighter drone prototypes due Oct 2026

The post describes Shield AI’s X-BAT, a jet-powered, stealthy tail-sitting VTOL uncrewed aircraft being developed for the U.S. Navy’s RIMES program, with full-scale prototypes and vertical-flight testing planned on an aggressive timeline. Its key novelty is runway-independent operations enabled by an F110 engine paired with an AVEN thrust-vectoring nozzle and wing bleed-air thrusters, aiming for fighter-like payload bays and long range from austere maritime expeditionary sites.