The X-Bat strike aircraft just reached a major milestone with the successful integration of its exhaust system, setting it up for a vertical takeoff planned for later this year. Shield AI and GE Aerospace completed critical ground testing of the Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle (AVEN) for X-Bat, which allows the fighter jet to launch and recover from anywhere without the need for traditional runways. The X-Bat uses Shield AI’s Hivemind software, operating autonomously and collaborating with crewed aircraft during combat missions. 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 All set for takeoff The recent tests took place at GE Aerospace’s site in Peebles, Ohio, where engineers modified and integrated the AVEN into the aircraft’s F110-GE-129E engine. They then completed functional checkouts and engine light-off tests to ensure the propulsion system is working as planned. “X-BAT is designed to take off and land vertically from anywhere—no airbase, no runway—and that capability lives or dies with propulsion,” Armor Harris, senior vice president of aircraft engineering at Shield AI, said in a statement.