What Happened
X-BAT Fighter Jet To Bring Thousands Of Jobs To Newton And Seattle
Shield AI has announced that Kansas and Washington will serve as the flight test and production homes for its X-BAT AI-piloted fighter jet. The company’s X-Forge 2 site in Newton, Kansas, will handle flight testing and sustainment, while X-Forge 3 in Des Moines, Washington, will focus on production. The project is expected to support thousands of jobs and add billions to the local economies. According to Shield AI, the economic impact is projected to support about 9,800 American jobs by the early 2030s and add roughly $78 billion to the Newton and Seattle economies through 2046, as reported by Unknown Source.