US launches giant UAV, overwhelms in deterrence strategy

Bùi Đức |

Without runways, without pilots, the new US X-BAT unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is considered the main card in the deterrent strategy.

US defense technology company Shield AI has just announced a stealth fighter - vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) model called X-BAT, controlled by the AI pilot Hivemind developed by the company itself.

Shield AI describes the X-BAT as a group 5 UAV - the largest classified according to the Pentagon standard, with a take-off weight of more than 600kg. More specifically, X-BAT can operate completely without a runway, launched and recalled vertically from a mobile trailer.

Shield AI Chairman Brand Tseng affirmed that the strength of air forces without runways is the overarch of deterrence.

The X-BAT has a tailless wing, the wing can be folded for easy transportation. simulation video shows the UAV being lifted upright when taking off, then moving to take a side flight to perform the mission and then returning to land upright on the trailer.

According to Shield AI, the X-BAT is 7.9m long, 11.9m wide, has a flight range of over 15,000m, an operating range of over 3,700km and can reach ultrasound speed. The aircraft uses a rocket engine of the same type as the F-16 (GE F110 or Pratt & Whitney F100). Thanks to that, UAVs can change the direction of the thrust, increasing mobility when taking off/doing landing vertically.

Dong co UAV X-BAT duoc phat trien dua tren nen tang cua may bay chien dau F-16. Anh: Shield AI
The X-BAT UAV engine is based on the platform of the F-16 fighter jet. Photo: Shield AI

Illustrative images from the company also show that the X-BAT has a body of weapons that can hold AIM-120 and AIM-174B anti-aircraft missiles, along with external hangers for attack, reconnaissance, intelligence or electronic warfare (EW).

However, the core technology of X-BAT lies in the brain of Hivemind - Shield AIs autonomous flight control software. Hivemind has been tested in many US military programs, allowing UAVs to fly, locate and coordinate combat even in environments with GPS jamming or lost communication.

Because it is controlled by Hivemind, X-BAT can operate independently or fly with a manned fighter, said Mr. Armor Harris, Senior Vice President of aviation engineering at Shield AI.

Shield AI plans to deploy the first take-off and landing test for the X-BAT in the fall of 2026. Then, the whole system was tested and the operation was assessed in 2028.

The price of each X-BAT is estimated to be equivalent to UAVs in the US Air Force's Cooperative Fighter Aircraft (CCA) program, about 30 million USD/unit.

Bùi Đức
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