AUSA 2026: Shield AI's X-BAT advances sustainment support and US Navy funding

Shield AI's growing footprint in India could lead to the localised manufacturing of the X-BAT (pictured). (Shield AI)

GE Aerospace, Shield AI and Poland's Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze Nr 2 S.A. (WZL-2) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on 12 October to “advance maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) support” for the GE Aerospace F110 engine that powers the X-BAT unmanned fighter jet.

Under that MOU, the companies plan to explore establishing MRO capability for the F110 and its Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle (AVEN) in support of X-BAT.

Amy Gowder, president & CEO of Defense & Systems at GE Aerospace, said the partnership would “[bring] proven propulsion and sustainment expertise together with Shield AI's breakthrough innovation in AI-piloted aircraft and Polish industry to keep next-generation autonomous systems mission-ready.”

US Navy RIMES

Additionally, Shield AI announced on 8 October that the US Navy executed a USD150 million modification (with funding from Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment through the Defense Exportability Features programme) to an existing Other Transaction agreement to advance X-BAT development.

Under the US Navy Runway Independent Maritime Expeditionary Strike (RIMES) effort, the department announced a separate USD50 million funding action in August 2026, bringing the total to USD200 million. Shield AI said it matched the government's funding using its own capital in both instances.

“We've been laying out all of our technical roadmaps,” Jason Davis, head of strategic capture at Shield AI, told Janes on 12 October when discussing RIMES. “We showed them all of the pre-work that we had done in the pre-planning, and they have jumped in and helped provide a lot of that organizational support structure and the service voice within the programme.”