X-BAT Program Targets Three Asian Countries For Exports

SEOUL—South Korea, Japan and Taiwan are possible sales targets in Asia for the newly unveiled X-BAT vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) collaborative combat aircraft (CCA), a Sheild AI official said on Oct. 23. 

Hours after the U.S. defense technology company unveiled the X-BAT in a Washington, D.C. event, Shield AI launched the Asia-Pacific region marketing campaign. 

A video introduced the X-BAT on Shield AI’s booth at the ADEX defense exhibition here on Oct. 22. 

The range and access issues in the vast Asia-Pacific region, dotted by far-flung islands, could make the 22,000-lb., GE Aerospace F110-powered X-BAT a solution to several operational problems. 

South Korea could operate the X-BAT from the Dokdo amphibious carrier, a proposed large-deck aircraft carrier, and various islands off the coast of the divided peninsula, Eugene Choi, Shield AI’s head of Korea, told Aviation Week.

The X-BAT is expected to arrive on the export market too late to play a starring role initially in Japan’s proposed multi-layered defense system for littoral defense, Choi said.

But the island country could still join the program at the status of an observer in the near term, which preserves their option to order the aircraft later with a more informed perspective on its capabilities, Choi said. Choi cited the example of the Security Cooperation Partnership program, which allowed Singapore and Israel to participate in the F-35 Joint Program Office years in advance of placing orders for the stealth fighter.

Asked if Taiwan could be a future customer for the X-BAT, Choi acknowledged that aircraft could be attractive in Taipei, but a policy decision to export the aircraft there must first be made by the U.S. government.

The nature of the X-BAT’s combat role could limit opportunities for localizing sensors, weapons or other key features of the design. As a combat aircraft, orders will most likely be executed through the Foreign Military Sales process, with configurations limited to components controlled by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, Choi said. But foreign companies could participate in the program through maintenance, repair and overhaul services in-country, he added.