First X-BAT fighter jet prototype unveiled as Shield AI preps Seattle area factory for 2027 launch

Shield AI has finished construction of its first full-scale X-BAT prototype in 12 months at a Frisco, Texas facility, with the aircraft now in transit to the company's flight-test center in Kansas. The company is preparing for major manufacturing expansion in the Seattle area, including a 420,000-square-foot facility at Des Moines Creek Business Park scheduled to open in spring 2027. Shield AI projects the facility could employ 4,000 workers by the early 2030s.

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