• Shield AI says its first full-scale X-BAT prototype rolls out by end of October, with vertical takeoff flight testing in Kansas before year end.
  • The company got a further $150 million via the U.S. Navy, plus $50 million earlier, and matched both, totalling $400 million.
  • RIMES targets U.S. Navy early operational capability in 2029, which TWZ calls extraordinarily ambitious; Shield AI suggests a fleet of hundreds to low thousands.