From Fox News: Analysts say China has developed a chilling strategy for fighting a war with the United States: destroy America’s fighter jets before they ever leave the ground.
In nearly every modern conflict, disabling enemy aircraft on the ground has been the first move. When Israel struck Iranian nuclear sites earlier this year, it began by destroying Iranian runways — grounding Tehran’s air force before it could take off. Russia and Ukraine have done the same throughout their ongoing war, targeting airfields to cripple enemy aircraft. And when India clashed with Pakistan, the opening salvos hit Pakistani air bases.
Beijing has taken that lesson to heart. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has spent years building an arsenal of long-range precision missiles — including “carrier killers” like the DF-21D and DF-26 — capable of destroying U.S. aircraft carriers and striking American airfields across the Pacific. The goal: keep U.S. air power out of range before it can even launch.
Now, a U.S. defense technology firm says it has built a way to fight back. Shield AI, based in San Diego, has unveiled a new AI-piloted fighter jet designed to operate without runways, without GPS, and without constant communication links — an aircraft that can think, fly and fight on its own.
Shield AI says the jet, called X-BAT, can take off vertically, reach 50,000 feet, fly more than 2,000 nautical miles, and execute strike or air defense missions using an onboard autonomy system known as Hivemind. It’s designed to operate from ships, small islands or improvised sites — places where traditional jets can’t. The aircraft’s dash speed remains classified.
Armor Harris, Shield AI’s senior vice president of aircraft engineering, warned, “China has built this anti-access aerial denial bubble that holds our runways at risk. They’ve basically said, ‘We’re not going to compete stealth-on-stealth in the air — we’ll target your aircraft before they even get off the ground.’”
Harris explained that X-BAT’s Hivemind autonomy allows it to operate in denied or jammed environments, where traditional aircraft would be blind, by usig onboard sensors to interpret its surroundings, reroute around threats and identify targets in real time.
“If new threats appear, it can reroute itself or identify targets and then ask a human for permission to engage,” Harris continued, adding, “That doesn’t mean the person has to be in the cockpit — it could be remote or delegated through tasking — but there will always be a human decision-maker.”
It is unclear why details of the new aircraft have been publicly released. The report also states that the X-BAT won’t be combat-ready until 2029.
Last week, podcast host Shawn Ryan, a former Navy SEAL and CIA contractor, announced:
I never thought I’d have a UFO sitting on my lawn. 😂
Shield AI has just unveiled their new AI-piloted fighter jet, the X-BAT. This Thursday, I’m joined by Shield AI’s Co-Founder and former Navy SEAL, Brandon Tseng, who breaks down the X-BAT in full detail. This autonomous fighter jet has a 2,000-mile range, is the world’s first AI-piloted fighter that doesn’t require a runway, and can take off and land vertically. This is one of those moments that makes me proud to be an American. Brandon also shares insight into other autonomous systems Shield AI has developed—systems already in operational use, including supporting the Coast Guard on counter-narcotics missions.
I never thought I’d have a UFO sitting on my lawn. 😂
Shield AI has just unveiled their new AI-piloted fighter jet, the X-BAT. This Thursday, I’m joined by Shield AI’s Co-Founder and former Navy SEAL, Brandon Tseng, who breaks down the X-BAT in full detail. This autonomous… pic.twitter.com/i34KXjufhR
— Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyan762) October 21, 2025
Sharing a 12-minute video, Ryan explained: “Brandon Tseng, Co-Founder of Shield AI, unveils the real X-BAT autonomous fighter jet with Shawn Ryan. He breaks down its game-changing features including vertical takeoff and landing, long-range strike capabilities, electronic warfare functions, and AI piloting technology. The X-BAT can carry payloads comparable to modern fighter jets like the F-35, while launching from almost anywhere without the need for a runway. This moment marks a historic look at the future of air warfare and the cutting edge of AI-driven defense.”
WATCH BELOW:
READ MORE from Fox News.
America’s ‘BAT’ man unveils tech built to outsmart a Chinese first strike https://t.co/e01YzppMyA
— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) October 25, 2025
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