US Navy adds $150 million to Shield AI’s X‑BAT autonomous fighter program
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The US Navy awarded Shield AI an additional $150 million to develop the X‑BAT autonomous fighter, which can perform vertical take‑off and landing. Shield AI will match the award with $150 million of its own capital, bringing the total announced investment in X‑BAT to $400 million. The funding is provided through the Pentagon’s Defense Exportability Features (DEF) program, which requires participating companies to cover at least half of project costs.
Shield AI has also signed an agreement with Greek infrastructure group GEK TERNA to explore manufacturing X‑BAT components, assembling aircraft and establishing maintenance facilities in Greece, potentially turning the country into a regional hub for operators in southeastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. The initiative, called Runway Independent Maritime Expeditionary Strike (RIMES), seeks uncrewed aircraft capable of carrying 1,000‑pound‑class weapons over distances of at least 1,400 nautical miles, and Shield AI matched a separate $50 million RIMES investment with an equal amount of its own funding.