KIELCE, Poland (September 9, 2026) — At a signing event yesterday at MSPO, the International Defence Industry Exhibition, Shield AI, Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa S.A. (PGZ) and Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze nr 2 S.A. (WZL-2) signed a letter of intent to partner on the design, production and delivery of X-BAT, and on sustaining it in Poland. X-BAT is an AI-piloted fighter jet that takes off and lands vertically, so it can fly from small sites, ships and roads instead of runways.

Runways are among the first targets in a conflict, and Europe has few hardened airfields for the aircraft it is buying. X-BAT removes that dependency, which lets air power move with the fight along NATO’s eastern flank. Building it in Poland would put that capability inside Polish industry.

Under the letter, the parties will define how the PGZ Group takes part in the design, production and delivery of X-BAT to customers in Poland and other countries. The talks also cover Shield AI’s current products, including the Hivemind autonomy software and the V-BAT aircraft, along with maintenance, repair and overhaul, training, participation in Shield AI’s supply chain, and technology transfer and development. The scope reaches beyond the two signatories to other companies in the PGZ Group. WZL-2, the Polish Air Force’s main aircraft depot, is already building maintenance capability for the F110 engine family that powers X-BAT. Specific assignments and facilities would be set in definitive agreements, which the three companies will now work toward. The letter runs for five years.

“X-BAT represents exactly the kind of advanced autonomous programme in which Polish industry should play a substantive role,” said Piotr Zawieja, Vice President of the Management Board of PGZ S.A. “The PGZ Group can bring together capabilities in aerospace manufacturing, systems integration, maintenance and through-life support. Our goal is for Poland to be not merely a customer for a finished platform, but an active industrial and technology partner, with Polish companies integrated into the international supply chain and with enduring domestic capabilities to support and further develop the system for the Polish Armed Forces.”

“For many years, WZL-2 has been responsible for supporting and sustaining the F-16 and C-130 aircraft operated by the Polish Armed Forces,” said Jakub Gazda, President of the Management Board of WZL-2 S.A. “We are now preparing to expand our capabilities to include work on the F110 engine family that will power X-BAT. Our experience, combined with our technical capabilities, infrastructure and, above all, highly qualified workforce, can provide a strong foundation for establishing a domestic support base for the system in Poland. We want the development of new aviation capabilities for the Polish Armed Forces to go hand in hand with strengthening Poland’s industrial and sustainment capacity.”

“Poland is investing in advanced technology at a scale few countries in Europe match, and it is building the institutions to field it quickly,” said Ryan Tseng, Shield AI’s president, co-founder and chief strategy officer. “PGZ and WZL-2 already sustain Poland’s combat aircraft. We want that industrial base building and supporting X-BAT, for Poland and for export.”

In June, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Poland intended to pursue an autonomous combat aircraft program with Shield AI, calling it an opportunity for Poland to achieve air dominance. Days later, Poland’s Armament Agency selected V-BAT for the Polish Navy, with delivery planned for later in 2026.

X-BAT is an uncrewed, multirole strike fighter with a low-observable design. It has a 1,000-nautical-mile combat radius and carries weapons up to the 2,000-pound class in internal bays sized to match the F-35’s. Its 80 kilowatts of electrical power run electronic warfare, radar and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) systems in an open mission architecture. X-BAT is powered by GE Aerospace’s F110 engine and begins flight testing this year.

Shield AI is exhibiting at booth C-607 at MSPO in Kielce, which runs through Sept. 11.

About Shield AI:

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Media contact: Lily Hinz, [email protected]

About PGZ:

The Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) is the leader of the national defence industry and one of the largest defence groups in Central Europe. The Group comprises nearly 70 companies- modern industrial facilities, service centers, and research institutes that are crucial to the Polish defence sector. PGZ’s portfolio addresses the full spectrum of modern armed forces’ requirements and other customers, ranging from individual soldier weapons and equipment, through communication systems, optoelectronics, ammunition production, radar reconnaissance systems, tube artillery, and specialized transport vehicles, to armoured equipment, air and missile defence systems, and naval shipbuilding. At the same time, PGZ possesses comprehensive MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) capabilities. More information at: https://grupapgz.pl/