SerpApi.Org
GE Aerospace and Shield AI have reached a key milestone in developing the X-BAT unmanned strike aircraft, moving the project closer to vertical flight testing planned for later this year. The companies said they completed integration, actuation, and engine light-off tests of the Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle (AVEN), which lets the aircraft take off and land vertically without a runway.
The testing took place at GE Aerospace’s site in Peebles, Ohio. Engineers updated and installed the AVEN on the F110-GE-129E engine before conducting functional checks and engine light-off tests to make sure the propulsion system worked as planned. The companies said this is the first fully integrated test of the nozzle, controls, and engine systems since the 1990s.
Propulsion system moves toward flight testing
The AVEN is the main part that gives X-BAT the ability to direct its thrust for vertical takeoff, landing, and hovering. In tests, engineers checked that the nozzle moved as planned and confirmed the propulsion system worked properly.
The nozzle was first created for a multi-axis thrust vectoring program on an F-16 in the 1990s. Back then, it completed 73 hours of ground tests and 135 flight hours over 95 flights. For X-BAT, the hardware was refurbished before being tested again.
The nozzle is now undergoing additional ground tests before it is installed on the X-BAT prototype for flight trials.
“X-BAT is designed to take off and land vertically from anywhere, no airbase, no runway, and that capability lives or dies with propulsion,” said Armor Harris, senior vice president of aircraft engineering at Shield AI.
“The AVEN is what makes vertical flight possible on a platform this size and this capable. We’re applying it differently than it was ever used before. Vertical flight requires fast gimbaling to maintain attitude control, a demand the original program never had to meet. Taking hardware with a flight-proven track record and adapting it for that mission has let us move through development at an incredible pace instead of starting from zero. Completing this integration in a short timeframe shows what these combined teams can do. The next step is iterating on our propulsion approach to make future versions faster, lighter, and more capable.”
Built for runway-independent combat missions
Shield AI designed X-BAT to work in places where regular airbases might not be available or could be at risk. The AI-piloted aircraft is meant to launch from ships, islands, or remote spots without needing runways or much ground support.
The aircraft uses Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy software, so it can fly on its own or work with crewed aircraft during combat missions.
X-BAT is designed to carry weapons up to 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms) in each of its two internal weapon bays, which are about the same size as those on the F-35. It also produces 80 kilowatts of electrical power to support electronic warfare, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance equipment, and both active and passive radar.
The aircraft is expected to have a combat radius of about 1,151 miles (1,852 kilometers), so it can carry out long-range strike missions without needing a runway.
GE brings decades of engine experience
Shield AI selected GE Aerospace in November 2025 to provide the engine, propulsion integration, and testing support for the X-BAT program. This work combines the F110-GE-129E engine with the refurbished AVEN nozzle to create a propulsion system capable of supporting vertical flight.
“The integration of AVEN into our F110-GE-129E engine and a successful light-off represents a full-circle moment for our GE Aerospace team. By combining our proven experience in developing propulsion systems with Shield AI’s next-generation vehicle development, we are integrating the best of past, present, and future products to create a revolutionary aircraft,” said Doogie Russell, vice president of Edison Works at GE Aerospace.
GE said the F110 engine has logged over 11 million flight hours during its service. The engine recently reached 40 years of continuous production and upgrades, making it one of the company’s longest-running military propulsion programs. Now that propulsion integration is confirmed, the X-BAT program is preparing for additional ground tests before flight testing begins later this year.
