Shield AI and GE Aerospace have completed integration, actuation and engine light-off testing of the advanced Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle (AVEN) on the X-BAT autonomous strike aircraft, marking a major milestone as the programme moves toward vertical flight testing.
The testing campaign was carried out using GE Aerospace’s F110-GE-129E engine at the company’s test operations facility in Peebles, Ohio. Engineers from both companies integrated the thrust-vectoring nozzle with the engine before conducting functional checkouts and engine light-off to validate the performance of the combined propulsion system.
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
According to the companies, the campaign represents the first fully integrated test of its kind since the 1990s, bringing together the AVEN hardware, control systems and engine to execute coordinated nozzle movement sequences under defined test conditions.
“X-BAT is designed to take off and land vertically from anywhere — no airbase, no runway — and that capability lives or dies with propulsion,” said Armor Harris, Senior Vice President of Aircraft Engineering at Shield AI.
Harris said the AVEN system is central to enabling vertical flight for an aircraft of X-BAT’s size and capability. While the nozzle was originally developed for an F-16 thrust-vectoring programme in the 1990s, Shield AI adapted the proven hardware to meet the fast gimbaling requirements needed for vertical takeoff and landing, allowing the company to accelerate development rather than designing an entirely new system.
The AVEN was originally developed for a multi-axis thrust-vectoring programme that accumulated 73 hours of ground testing and 135 flight hours over 95 flights. For the X-BAT programme, the hardware has been refurbished and returned to service, with ground testing continuing ahead of flight trials aboard the prototype aircraft.
“The integration of AVEN into our F110-GE-129E engine and a successful light off represents a full-circle moment for our GE Aerospace team,” said Doogie Russell, Vice President of Edison Works at GE Aerospace. “By combining our proven experience in developing propulsion systems with Shield AI’s next-generation vehicle development, we are integrating the best of past, present, and future products to create a revolutionary aircraft.”
Shield AI designed X-BAT to operate in contested environments where conventional runways may be unavailable or vulnerable. The AI-piloted aircraft combines vertical takeoff and landing capability with long-range strike performance, allowing it to operate from ships, islands and austere locations without requiring dedicated airfield infrastructure.
Powered by Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy software, X-BAT is designed to operate independently or alongside crewed aircraft. The aircraft features two internal weapons bays capable of carrying munitions weighing up to 2,000 pounds each, with bay dimensions comparable to those of the F-35. It also generates 80 kilowatts of electrical power to support electronic warfare systems, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) payloads, and active and passive radar capabilities.
According to Shield AI, X-BAT has a combat radius of approximately 1,000 nautical miles and is scheduled to begin flight testing later this year.
Shield AI selected GE Aerospace in November 2025 to provide the engine, propulsion integration and testing support for the X-BAT programme. The F110 engine family has accumulated more than 11 million flight hours and recently marked 40 years of continuous production and development.