U.S. Navy

Headlines · 3

1. 6d
   Shield AI Unveils First Full-Scale X-BAT Combat Drone Prototype

   Shield AI has unveiled X-BAT 001, the first full-scale prototype in a planned two-aircraft test program, and the aircraft is being transported from Texas to a flight-test base in Kansas. The jet-powered stealth design uses a GE Aerospace F110 engine, an AVEN vectoring nozzle and Shield AI flight-control technology, with nozzle integration, actuation and engine ignition tests completed in July. Shield AI plans VTOL tests in 2026, a mission-capable flight in 2028 and production in 2029, but the U.S. Navy says deployment depends on further flight testing and combat evaluation.

   科技新报 · 🔥 0
2. Oct 15
   Shield AI's X-BAT drone gets another $150M from US Navy as first prototype nears

   Shield AI expects to complete its first full-scale X-BAT prototype by the end of October 2026 and begin flight testing late in the year, starting with vertical take-off and landing tests, TechRadar reported. The U.S. Navy has committed an additional $150 million on top of an initial $50 million, bringing total external funding to $200 million, under a development agreement that ties payments to technical milestones and requires Shield AI to match the Navy's contribution. The tail-sitting X-BAT pairs a General Electric F110 engine with an axisymmetric vectoring exhaust nozzle and is projected to fly 2,000 nautical miles with a 50,000-foot ceiling and a combat radius of up to 1,340 nautical miles, though the report notes its vertical flight capability has not yet been demonstrated and its range, payload and autonomy remain development goals.

   TechRadar · 🔥 0
3. Oct 12
   WindBorne wins US Air Force contract worth up to $49M for balloon data

   WindBorne Systems has secured a US Air Force contract worth up to roughly $49 million under which the military buys atmospheric readings from its global fleet of autonomous weather balloons on demand. The award was made without competitive bidding; the Air Force has so far placed orders worth about $1.7 million and can request data for specific regions and time windows. WindBorne operates about 700 balloons whose measurements are sold to customers and also feed its WeatherMesh 6 deep-learning forecasting model, which the company says outperforms the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts' physics-based model — a claim not independently verified here.

   TechCrunch AI · 🔥 0

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