Shield AI selects Seattle area to build X-BAT autonomous fighter jet, plans to add 4,000 jobs by early 2030s

Shield AI’s new X-BAT autonomous fighter jet is designed to take off and land vertically. Traditional military air operations rely heavily on fixed, vulnerable targets: long concrete runways and aircraft carriers. Shield AI’s new X-BAT autonomous fighter jet is designed to bypass that infrastructure entirely, utilizing a vertical takeoff mechanism and a mobile launch trailer that can operate from highways, remote outposts or standard cargo ships.

Related Shield AI selects Seattle area to build X-BAT autonomous fighter jet, plans to add 4,000 jobs by early 2030s @media (max-width: 600px) { aside.callout { float:none !important; max-width:100% !important; margin-left:0 !important; margin-right:0 !important; } aside.callout .callout-img { display:none !important; } } Operated without a human in the cockpit, the aircraft relies on aboard algorithms to navigate and execute strike missions where GPS and satellite communications are jammed. The X-BAT has yet to make its maiden flight, but Shield AI and GE Aerospace cleared a critical milestone this summer by completing ground engine tests and integrating the jet’s F110 thrust-vectoring nozzle. With news that the X-BAT will be mass produced in the Seattle area — bringing 4,000 jobs to the region by the early 2030s — we decided to take a closer look at this groundbreaking aircraft.

Meet the X-BAT: Specifications & Capabilities Aircraft Name: X-BAT Developer: Shield AI Aircraft Classification: Autonomous / AI-Piloted Strike Fighter (Runway-Independent) Fuselage Length: 26 feet Wingspan: 39 feet Service Ceiling: Greater than 50,000 feet Takeoff/Landing Style: Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) Objective Combat Radius: About 1,000 nautical mile combat radius (out and back), topping the roughly 590 nautical miles of the Air Force’s F-35A. Internal Payload Bay Capacity: Up to 2,000-pound class weapons. Engine: GE Aerospace F110 Software: Shield AI Hivemind autonomy system.

Primary Propulsion & Flight Control: Autonomous AI agent, replacing human onboard pilot. Logistics & Mobility: Road-transportable via dedicated Launch and Recovery Vehicle (LRV) trailer; highway-mobile and ship-deployable (destroyers, LHA/LHD amphibious assault ships, expeditionary bases). Tagline: “Earth is our runway.” Target Production Rate: ~150 aircraft per year by early 2030s Key Operat…

The X-BAT autonomous fighter jet will be built at a new facility in Washington state. Renderings and images via Shield AI. — Defense tech powerhouse Shield AI is establishing a massive advanced manufacturing hub in Washington state, tapping the Seattle region’s deep aerospace and tech roots to build a next-generation autonomous fighter jet called the X-BAT.

The project could transform the regional labor market: Shield AI says it expects to have 4,000 workers in the region by the early 2030s as it ramps up mass production of the AI-piloted, 26-foot long aircraft. Related Meet the X-BAT: Full specs on the new AI-piloted fighter jet to be built in Washington state @media (max-width: 600px) { aside.callout { float:none !important; max-width:100% !important; margin-left:0 !important; margin-right:0 !important; } aside.callout .callout-img { display:none !important; } } It marks a major expansion of advanced aerospace manufacturing in the Seattle region, bringing autonomous military aviation directly into Boeing’s backyard and cementing the state’s position at the center of the AI-defined defense era. The San Diego-based company, valued at $12.7 billion following a $2 billion venture capital round earlier this year, is looking to complete construction on a 420,000-square-foot facility in Des Moines, Wash., just south of Seattle, next spring.