GE Aerospace is shipping its refurbished Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle to Shield AI for the F110-129E-powered X-BAT vertical-takeoff collaborative combat aircraft after more than 100 hours of integrated engine-plus-nozzle tests at Peebles, Ohio, Aviation Week reported September 3, 2026. The 1990s F-16 agility nozzle was never fielded; Shield AI and GE rewrote the control software and kept nearly all of the original hardware for the prototype. Defense One said the next gate is a crane-tethered hover by year-end, with the aircraft hanging from a 180-foot crane to prove hover stability before free flight.
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