Shield AI lands US$150 million Navy contract for X-BAT jet to be built south of Seattle
The company plans a 420,000-square-foot facility in Des Moines, Wash., and about 4,000 Seattle-area workers by the early 2030s.
San Diego-based defence technology company Shield AI has secured a US$150 million contract from the U.S. Navy to advance its X-BAT autonomous fighter jet, GeekWire reported on Thursday.
The contract funds work to design security and export capabilities into the X-BAT so it can eventually be sold to allies. Shield AI is matching the award with US$150 million of its own capital, bringing cumulative commitments behind the program to US$400 million.
Last week Shield AI announced plans to open a 420,000-square-foot engineering and production facility in Des Moines, Wash., called X-Forge 3, and said it expects to employ about 4,000 workers in the Seattle area by the early 2030s.
The X-BAT is designed to take off and land vertically from ships, cargo decks and highway strips. Shield AI raised US$2 billion at a US$12.7 billion valuation earlier this year, according to GeekWire.
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