US Navy Adds $150M to Shield AI X-BAT, the AI Fighter That Needs No Runway

The US Navy added $150 million to its Other Transaction agreement with Shield AI for the X-BAT autonomous vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft, announced October 8. Shield AI will match the award, bringing disclosed government and company commitments to $400 million, divided equally between public and private capital. The modification uses Defense Exportability Features funding for work including anti-tamper protection and export-ready configurations, alongside development under the Runway Independent Maritime Expeditionary Strike effort. X-BAT remains an unflown prototype program intended for launch and recovery from ships and austere sites, rather than a production purchase of operational fighters.