Boeing and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) have successfully completed demonstrations proving the operational viability of the MQ-28 Ghost Bat Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). The RAAF-defined demonstrations required the MQ-28 to execute a series of operationally relevant missions designed to supplement and enhance capabilities of existing crewed platforms.
The uncrewed MQ-28 platforms and digital versions have now completed 150 hours and 20,000+ hours of virtual testing. The Capability Demonstration 2025 missions were completed in early June, four months ahead of schedule, and validated:
- autonomous behaviours and mission execution
- multi-ship operations to provide combat mass
- deployment operations to RAAF Base Tindal
- teaming with an E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft, and
- data fusion and sharing data between multiple MQ-28 aircraft and transmission of that data to a crewed platform.
MQ-28 is a unique autonomous capability designed to complement the find, fix, track and target elements of air combat with autonomous behaviours and reduced risk to crewed platforms.
“The RAAF set the task of proving the first four steps in the Air Combat chain for the MQ-28 – and we have accomplished that sooner than anticipated,” said Glen Ferguson, MQ-28 Global program director. “Completing this work early allows us to accelerate the next phases of development – engage and assess – with an air-to-air weapon shot planned for later this year or in early 2026. The demonstrations have proven the maturity of MQ-28’s capabilities and the utility of CCA’s and their application to the future force mix.”
The capabilities validated throughout 2025 will be incorporated into the Block 2 aircraft now in production, forming the basis of an initial operational capability for the RAAF and allied partners.
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Everything seems to be running nicely but I would like to see some firm orders placed. If the proverbial hits the fan you are going to want to see a production line for these aircraft up and running ASAP.
Construction of Toowoomba’s Boeing Ghost Bat production facility is set to be completed by 2027 and we should have orders in place as soon as the doors open.
Excellent that it is coming along . Any indication when it will be operational?
The government is due to make a go / no go decision on funding production before the end of 2025. When it would be fully operational is harder to estimate.
I’m very encouraged to see them sticking at this instead of waiting to see what the US might sell us
Further encouragement must come from a story on another sight, that Boeing has offered Ghost Bat to Poland to add ‘mass’ to a potential order of F15EX’s.
I always wonder where the weapons will go and can only see the possibility of 1 pylon under each wing. There was a lot of speculation about a weapons bay, but I don’t see enough room in the fuselage for that unless they enlarge it. (lots of trouble potential in that)
Boeing say that the MQ-28 is designed for the internal carriage of weapons but other than that details are scarce. I don’t know if any of the flying prototypes have weapons bays but I assume they will be in the production models – if the government agrees to go ahead. So far the program seems to have been very successful.
Boeing say that the MQ-28 is designed for the internal carriage of weapons but other than that details are scarce. I don’t know if any of the flying prototypes have weapons bays but I assume they will be in the production models – if the government agrees to go ahead. So far the program seems to have been very successful.