Shield AI accelerates drones
Shield AI scored several rapid wins this week: its X‑BAT demonstrated a first engine fire test with a GE F110, it integrated Hivemind autonomy onto Mitsubishi’s ARMD in under 60 days, and the Royal Netherlands Navy ordered 12 V‑BAT UAS — all signs of fast fielding for jet‑powered and ISR drones. The trio of milestones signals a push to operationalize autonomous aerial systems across partners and services. (x.com) (x.com) (x.com)
GE Aerospace and Shield AI signed a memorandum of understanding on Nov. 5, 2025 that names the F110‑GE‑129 turbofan with an Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle (AVEN) to provide propulsion and testing support for the X‑BAT program. (shield.ai)) A video of a ground run released around the program unveiling shows the F110 starting and the nozzle cycling during engine testing, confirming ground‑fire testing of the selected powerplant. (theaviationist.com)) Shield AI’s X‑BAT program materials state the vehicle has completed wind‑tunnel, pole and engine testing during an 18‑month development period and targets first VTOL demonstrator flights in 2026 with mission capability by 2028. (shield.ai)) Shield AI’s March 17, 2026 press release says the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) flight demonstration took place in Ota City, Gunma Prefecture and featured two live flights in which Hivemind used reinforcement learning to pursue and more aggressively track a virtual air vehicle. (shield.ai)) The same release names Nathan Michael as Shield AI’s chief technology officer and Takahiro Katoji as director of MHI’s Uncrewed Aerial Systems Department, and it reports MHI progressed from software‑in‑the‑loop to hardware‑in‑the‑loop testing in under two weeks and to vehicle‑in‑the‑loop testing in roughly two more weeks. (shield.ai)) Dutch ministry and industry reporting shows the Royal Netherlands Navy has taken delivery of 12 Shield AI V‑BATs with control equipment being installed across eight ships and that initial operational trials were conducted from HNLMS Johan de Witt during the Cold Response exercise off Norway. (navalnews.com)) Shield AI’s earlier July 9, 2025 PR noted an initial Netherlands procurement for the navy and marines and cited past month‑long shipboard trials at NATO’s REPMUS 2024, while company statements from April 2025 reported the V‑BAT had completed more than 130 sorties supporting Ukrainian forces. (prnewswire.com))
