The MQ‑28A Ghost Bat combat drone successfully fired an AIM‑120 air-to-air missile in a live-fire test, as Australia signed a multimillion-dollar contract with Boeing Defence Australia for six drones—a milestone that underscores a major step forward in autonomous combat aviation.
Why It Matters
Boeing has accelerated the MQ‑28 program as it seeks to ramp up production. The next-generation stealth, unmanned collaborative combat aircraft (CCA), also known as “loyal wingman” drones, fly alongside human pilots, boosting range, endurance and situational awareness while lowering pilot risk and providing safer and more cost-effective operations.
What To Know
The mission was part of a “crewed-uncrewed teaming” exercise, pairing the Ghost Bat with a manned E‑7A Wedgetail early warning aircraft and an F/A‑18 fighter to destroy a fighter-class target drone, the company said on Tuesday. The MQ‑28 is designed to integrate with fourth-, fifth- and sixth-generation aircraft.
Australia announced a contract estimated at about $663 million with Boeing Defence Australia for six Ghost Bat drones, following the first live weapon test.
The announcement came during U.S.-Australia defense talks in Washington, where the allies also agreed on joint hypersonic missile production and increased U.S. bomber rotations, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
Similar capabilities were recently demonstrated by Turkey’s Bayraktar Kizilelma, which became the first drone in the world to strike a jet from long range in a successful test over the Black Sea last week. However, the MQ‑28 differs in purpose: It is designed primarily as a “loyal wingman” to augment manned fighters with sensors, weapons and situational awareness, whereas Kizilelma emphasizes autonomous offensive combat as a stand-alone platform.
What People Are Saying
Amy List, the managing director of Boeing Defence Australia, said in a news release on Tuesday: “This is the first time an autonomous aircraft has completed an air-to-air weapon engagement with an AIM-120 missile, establishing the MQ-28 as a mature combat capable CCA.”
Colin Miller, the vice president at Boeing Phantom Works, said: “This exercise demonstrates the maturity and sophistication of Boeing’s mission autonomy solution, which is built on open standards and government architectures and is capable of integrating with fourth-, fifth- and sixth-generation aircraft.”
What Happens Next
Boeing Defence Australia plans to integrate the Ghost Bat into broader Royal Australian Air Force operations, with production underway at its Toowoomba facility.
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