Ghost Bat passes another milestone

The Australian made and designed autonomous aircraft, MQ-28A Ghost Bat, has achieved a major capability milestone, backed by the government’s $1 billion investment in developing this next generation combat drone. The Ghost Bat is the first military combat aircraft to be designed, engineered and manufactured in Australia in more than 50 years. This latest capability demonstration conducted at Woomera involved a single operator aboard an airborne E-7A Wedgetail taking control of two Ghost Bat aircraft to conduct a mission against an airborne target. The government’s investment in uncrewed and autonomous systems is one of the key priorities outlined in the 2024 National Defence Strategy. The government is investing over $10 billion in drone capabilities including at least $4.3 billion in uncrewed aerial systems. Developed in cooperation with Boeing Defence Australia, the MQ-28A Ghost Bat is Australia’s first exploration into collaborative combat aircraft technology. Collaborative combat aircraft are uncrewed air vehicles that have the ability to team with crewed platforms performing mission roles and responsibilities typically associated with fighter aircraft. This project supports 350 high-skilled jobs across the nation, including those employed at Boeing Defence Australia and more than 200 Australian suppliers. Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said: “This is an important step forward in the development of this world-leading, Australian designed and made autonomous aircraft. The Ghost Bat has the potential to turn a single fighter jet into a fighting team, with advanced sensors that are like hundreds of eyes in the sky. Autonomous collaborative platforms enhance the integrated force’s ability to deliver a strategy of denial, by increasing the lethality and survivability with a reduced risk to our forces.” “This trial demonstrates family-of-systems integration, the strength of our open systems architecture, and is a critical first step towards integrating mission partners’ software and communications systems natively into the E-7A Wedgetail,” said Glen Ferguson, director MQ-28 Global Programs. “It not only validated a key element of the MQ-28 concept of operations, but also how collaborative combat aircraft can expand and enhance the role of the E-7A to meet future force requirements. It is another tangible proof point of the maturity of our program.” This trial is part of a series of events with RAAF assets throughout this year, collectively known as Capability Demonstration 2025 (CD25). CD25 will demonstrate MQ-28 operational effectiveness and how collaborative combat aircraft will integrate and operate with RAAF crewed assets. Future events will involve teaming with other assets, including F/A-18F and F-35. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Kym Bergmann at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Group Sales Director Simon Hadfield at [email protected]