Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat Demonstrates Collaborative Combat Capability

The Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat has reached another significant milestone in its development, becoming the first collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) to participate in the multinational Exercise Valiant Shield 2026, providing valuable insight into how autonomous aircraft could operate alongside crewed fighters in future coalition operations.

Held across the Western Pacific in June, the biennial exercise brought together forces from the United States and allied nations to refine joint operational capabilities in one of the world's most strategically significant regions. For Boeing, the deployment marked the first time the Australian-developed MQ-28 has participated in a major multinational military exercise alongside frontline combat aircraft.

Operating with the U.S. Air Force's Experimental Operations Unit, the MQ-28 Ghost Bat supported the service's ongoing efforts to evaluate the integration of collaborative combat aircraft into future air operations.

The unmanned aircraft flew alongside an impressive range of crewed platforms, including the F-35A Lightning II, F-35B Lightning II, F-15EX Eagle II, HC-130, E-3 Sentry, E-2D Hawkeye, EA-18G Growler and RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft. The exercise took place around the Marianas Island Range Complex and over the Philippine Sea, where participating aircraft practised increasingly complex joint-force missions.

Rather than simply demonstrating its flying capabilities, the Ghost Bat was used to help develop tactics, techniques and procedures for integrating autonomous aircraft into coalition air operations. The exercise also provided valuable experience in deployment, sustainment and agile combat employment, areas considered essential for future expeditionary operations in the Indo-Pacific theatre.

The MQ-28 has been designed from the outset as a force multiplier rather than a replacement for traditional fighter aircraft. The aircraft is intended to operate alongside fourth, fifth and eventually sixth-generation combat aircraft, carrying sensors, electronic warfare equipment or other mission payloads while extending the reach and survivability of crewed aircraft. By performing higher-risk missions, the unmanned aircraft allows pilots to concentrate on command and tactical decision-making while benefiting from increased situational awareness.

Steve Parker, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boeing Defence, Space & Security, described the exercise as an important milestone in the programme's evolution. "Having MQ-28 participate in such a significant military training exercise is a first, and this is just the start of demonstrating how advanced human-machine teaming extends the reach and awareness of crewed platforms and enhances joint force operations," he added "The aircraft has already demonstrated its operational potential, and allied forces are now able to experience firsthand the advantages collaborative combat aircraft can bring to future force structures."

Originally developed in Australia under Boeing Defence Australia, the MQ-28 Ghost Bat represents one of the country's most ambitious indigenous aerospace programmes. Unlike many unmanned aircraft developed primarily for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, the Ghost Bat was conceived as a true collaborative aircraft capable of operating as an intelligent teammate within complex combat environments.

A key feature of the platform is its open mission systems architecture. This enables defence forces to integrate sovereign mission equipment and payloads relatively quickly, allowing individual nations to tailor the aircraft for their own operational requirements without extensive redesign.

Amy List, Vice President and Managing Director of Boeing Defence Australia, believes the aircraft has reached a level of maturity that distinguishes it from competing collaborative combat aircraft currently under development. "The MQ-28 Ghost Bat is the most proven, mature collaborative combat aircraft in allied nations, and this latest demonstration highlights our readiness to bring this Australian-developed capability to global air forces," she said.

Collaborative combat aircraft have become one of the fastest-growing areas of military aviation development. The United States Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force and several European air forces are investing heavily in autonomous aircraft capable of supporting crewed fighters. These systems are expected to undertake missions ranging from electronic warfare and intelligence gathering to strike operations and decoy missions, helping to reduce pilot workload while increasing operational flexibility.

The U.S. Air Force's Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) programme places collaborative combat aircraft at the centre of future air warfare concepts, with autonomous wingmen expected to accompany advanced fighters into contested environments.

Exercise Valiant Shield has become one of the Indo-Pacific's premier joint military exercises, focusing on integrating air, land, maritime, space and cyber capabilities across allied forces. Deploying the Ghost Bat in this environment demonstrates that autonomous aircraft are moving beyond experimental testing and towards operational evaluation alongside frontline military units.

The Indo-Pacific presents unique operational challenges, with vast distances requiring aircraft capable of extending the reach of existing fighter fleets. Autonomous collaborative aircraft could play an important role by carrying additional sensors, communications equipment or weapons while reducing the exposure of crewed aircraft to high-threat environments.

While the Ghost Bat remains in the development and evaluation phase, its ability to integrate with multiple aircraft types during a complex multinational exercise demonstrates increasing confidence in the concept of human-machine teaming. The exercise provided an opportunity not only to validate the aircraft's technical capabilities but also to refine the operational concepts that will shape future coalition air campaigns.