The X-Bat strike aircraft just reached a major milestone with the successful integration of its exhaust system, setting it up for a vertical takeoff planned for later this year.
Shield AI and GE Aerospace completed critical ground testing of the Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle (AVEN) for X-Bat, which allows the fighter jet to launch and recover from anywhere without the need for traditional runways. The X-Bat uses Shield AI’s Hivemind software, operating autonomously and collaborating with crewed aircraft during combat missions.
No runway, no problem.
Shield AI and @GE_Aerospace just cleared a critical path to vertical flight, completing engine light-off testing of the Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle (AVEN) for X-BAT.
Engineers from both companies integrated the AVEN into GE Aerospace's… pic.twitter.com/OxV3y3sRKB
— Shield AI (@shieldaitech) July 20, 2026
All set for takeoff
The recent tests took place at GE Aerospace’s site in Peebles, Ohio, where engineers modified and integrated the AVEN into the aircraft’s F110-GE-129E engine. They then completed functional checkouts and engine light-off tests to ensure the propulsion system is working as planned.
“X-BAT is designed to take off and land vertically from anywhere—no airbase, no runway—and that capability lives or dies with propulsion,” Armor Harris, senior vice president of aircraft engineering at Shield AI, said in a statement.
AVEN is a 3D thrust-vectoring system that was originally developed in the 1990s for experimental F-16 fighter jets. The nozzle pivots engine exhaust in three dimensions to allow for more precise directional control, and it also allows aircraft to balance on their tailpipes for vertical takeoff and landing.
“The AVEN is what makes vertical flight possible on a platform this size and this capable,” Harris added. “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.”
The nozzle has 135 flight hours across 95 flights under its belt. The recent demonstration is the first fully integrated test of the nozzle, controls, and engine system since the 1990s, according to Shield AI.
No runway needed
The X-Bat has been in development for over two years, and it was first unveiled to the public in October 2025. Shield AI tapped GE Aerospace to provide the aircraft’s engine, propulsion integration, and testing support.
The stealth military jet is designed to overcome the issue of increasingly vulnerable runways by allowing the X-Bat to launch from ships, islands, or remote areas without the need for traditional infrastructure.
X-Bat is designed to carry weapons up to 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms) in each of its two weapon bays, which are about the same size as the ones on the F-35. It generates 80 kilowatts of electrical power, which allows it to run electronic warfare suites and act as a signal jammer when needed.
The fighter jet operates on Shield AI’s autonomous software, Hivemind. This allows the AI-piloted X-Bat to make uncrewed vertical takeoffs and landings, as well as fly and take part in combat missions on its own or along with crewed aircraft. It’s also designed to operate when communication or navigation signals are jammed.
Following the successful integration of AVEN into our F110-GE-129E engine, the nozzle will undergo additional tests before it is installed on the X-Bat prototype for a flight test later this year.
