Shield AI reports F110 engine adaptation progress on X-BAT autonomous combat drone
NewsApril 21, 2026
NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland. Shield AI has completed subscale and full-scale testing of the GE Aerospace F110-GE-129 engine adapted for vertical flight application on its X-BAT autonomous combat drone, a company executive said at the Sea-Air-Space exposition here, with prototype aircraft expected this summer.
Armor Harris, Shield AI's senior vice president of aircraft engineering, told reporters in the exhibit hall that the company has spent roughly 12 months adapting the F110 for the X-BAT's tail-sitting vertical takeoff and landing configuration -- a flight profile that places unusual demands on the engine because the aircraft spends a significant portion of its launch and recovery phase oriented vertically.
"The F110 engine brings two things -- it brings the thrust we need for takeoff, so we take off on afterburner to get the thrust needed to lift off, and then when we come back to land, we land on mil power," Harris said. "It's basically the takeoff thrust plus the mil thrust that we needed. The F110 is the best thrust-to-weight ratio in this class."
The F110-GE-129 selected for the X-BAT features GE Aerospace's Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle, which provides thrust vectoring capability for vertical flight and enhanced maneuverability in horizontal flight. GE Aerospace and Shield AI formalized their propulsion collaboration through a memorandum of understanding announced in November 2025, under which GE Aerospace is providing propulsion and testing support for the program.
The X-BAT, unveiled in October 2025, is designed to operate from ships, remote islands, and austere forward bases without conventional runway infrastructure. It features a range of over 2,000 nautical miles and an internal weapons bay sized to match the payload capacity of an F-35. Initial VTOL flight tests are planned for later this year, with full operational validation targeted for 2028 and production in 2029.
