This is like pairing a self-driving drone brain with a powerful, reliable jet engine. Shield AI brings the autonomous flight and mission software, while GE Aerospace provides the propulsion system that actually moves the aircraft, for a new X-BAT unmanned vehicle program.
Defense customers need autonomous aircraft that can fly complex missions safely and reliably in contested environments. That requires marrying advanced AI autonomy with proven, efficient propulsion so unmanned vehicles can carry useful payloads, fly longer, and operate with minimal human oversight.
Combination of certified aerospace propulsion from GE Aerospace with Shield AI’s defense-hardened autonomy stack and existing DoD relationships; integration into a specific vehicle program (X-BAT) creates switching costs and programmatic lock-in.
Hybrid
Unknown
High (Custom Models/Infra)
On-vehicle compute, power, and thermal limits for running autonomy/AI stacks in real time; certification and safety constraints for integrating AI-driven autonomy with flight-critical propulsion systems.
Early Adopters
The collaboration directly couples a major aerospace propulsion provider with a specialized defense autonomy company around a specific unmanned vehicle program (X-BAT), enabling deeper integration of AI autonomy with propulsion than generic retrofits or standalone drone offerings.