RAAF and Boeing Prove MQ-28 Operational Effectiveness

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and Boeing have successfully concluded demonstrations validating the operational viability of the MQ-28 Ghost Bat Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).

The Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat, formerly referred to as the Boeing Airpower Teaming System (ATS), is a sophisticated, multirole, unmanned combat aerial vehicle engineered by Boeing Australia for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). This stealth aircraft is intended to serve as a force multiplier, operating in coordination with crewed aircraft as part of an integrated system, known as a loyal wingman. It incorporates space-based capabilities and is capable of executing autonomous missions independently through the use of artificial intelligence.

The demonstrations defined by the RAAF necessitated that the MQ-28 perform a series of operationally relevant missions aimed at supplementing and enhancing the capabilities of existing crewed platforms.

The uncrewed MQ-28 platforms, along with their digital counterparts, have successfully completed 150 hours of physical testing and over 20,000 hours of virtual testing. The Capability Demonstration 2025 missions were finalised in early June, four months ahead of the planned schedule, and effectively 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

• Data fusion and sharing data between multiple MQ-28 aircraft, as well as the transmission of that data to a crewed platform.

The MQ-28 is a distinctive autonomous capability engineered to enhance the processes of locating, identifying, tracking, and targeting in air combat. It achieves this through autonomous behaviours, thereby minimising the risk to manned 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 confirmed throughout 2025 will be integrated into the Block 2 aircraft currently in production, establishing the foundation for an initial operational capability for the RAAF and allied partners.

As of October 2024, eight Block 1 vehicles have been built with more than 100 hours of flight testing.[6] Operational tests have taken place at Australia’s RAAF Woomera Test Range Complex approximately one out of every three months, with the aircraft flying one to three sorties daily, including some flights at night. The aircraft has also been operated from RAAF Base Tindal, demonstrating the ability to be deployed from a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III[8] and also be controlled by an airborne Boeing E-7 Wedgetail. Three additional Block 2 airframes featuring an improved wing and GPS/INS will be produced by 2025.