During the latter stages of World War II in Europe, the German forces introduced a formidable challenge to the Allied air forces: jet fighters. Leading the charge was the Messerschmitt Me-262, a powerful twin-engine aircraft equipped with four 30-mm cannons. This jet was significantly faster than the American P-51 Mustang, widely regarded as the top piston-engine fighter of its time. Although the Me-262 was nearly unbeatable in aerial combat, it was hampered by its sluggishness during taxiing, vulnerability during takeoff and landing, and the need for lengthy runways.

To counter this threat, the Allies targeted these jets while they were on the ground, systematically destroying both the aircraft and their bases. This strategy proved effective.

Attacking a superior air force by striking their aircraft and bases on the ground remains a strategic tactic. With the advent of long-range, precision cruise missiles, this approach is even more feasible, even against air bases like aircraft carriers. Enter Shield AI, a company that has developed an AI-powered fighter, which may offer a robust defense against such strategies.

If this cutting-edge system delivers on its promises, it could redefine the long-standing American military doctrine of preemptive action: “Do unto others, first.”

China boasts advanced fighter jets, or so they claim; however, any information from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army should be approached with skepticism. Nevertheless, the sheer volume of aircraft China can produce, even if they are not top-tier, represents a significant force to reckon with.

Now, a U.S. defense technology firm says it has built a way to fight back. Shield AI, based in San Diego, has unveiled a new AI-piloted fighter jet designed to operate without runways, without GPS, and without constant communication links — an aircraft that can think, fly and fight on its own.

This new system, if it works as advertised, could bring about a whole new iteration of that great old American military truism: “Do unto others, first.”

Shield AI says the jet, called X-BAT, can take off vertically, reach 50,000 feet, fly more than 2,000 nautical miles, and execute strike or air defense missions using an onboard autonomy system known as Hivemind. It’s designed to operate from ships, small islands or improvised sites — places where traditional jets can’t. The aircraft’s dash speed remains classified.

“China has built this anti-access aerial denial bubble that holds our runways at risk,” said Armor Harris, Shield AI’s senior vice president of aircraft engineering, in an interview with Fox News. “They’ve basically said, ‘We’re not going to compete stealth-on-stealth in the air — we’ll target your aircraft before they even get off the ground.’”

China has advanced fighters, or at least, they claim to; everything that issues forth from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army should be taken with a huge truckload of salt. But quantity has a quality all its own, and China does have the capacity to build an awful lot of second-rate aircraft.

This new American system could have an answer:

X-BAT’s Hivemind autonomy allows it to operate in denied or jammed environments, where traditional aircraft would be blind. The system uses onboard sensors to interpret its surroundings, reroute around threats and identify targets in real time. “It’s reading and reacting to the situation around it,” Harris said. “It’s not flying a pre-programmed route. If new threats appear, it can reroute itself or identify targets and then ask a human for permission to engage.”

Of course, giving the keys to a robot would require making sure that its target-identification protocols were dialed all the way in. You wouldn’t want one shooting down a friendly – or an airliner.