Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat
Overview
The MQ-28 Ghost Bat is Australia's pioneering "loyal wingman" drone — an uncrewed, AI-enabled combat aircraft designed to fly alongside crewed fighters and act as a force-multiplying teammate. Developed by Boeing in Australia, it holds the distinction of being the first military combat aircraft designed and built in Australia in over half a century, and a flagship of the global move toward crewed-uncrewed teaming. The Ghost Bat is a fighter-sized jet (around 11–12 m long) with a notably modular nose section that can be swapped to carry different sensor or electronic-warfare payloads. The concept is collaborative combat: a small number of crewed aircraft — F-35s, Super Hornets, the E-7 Wedgetail — each controlling several Ghost Bats that scout ahead, jam, surveil or absorb the first risks of a contested environment, extending the reach and survivability of the human-crewed force at a fraction of a fighter's cost. For an analyst, the Ghost Bat matters as a glimpse of the next phase of air warfare and as a marker of Australia's defence-industrial ambition. It parallels the U.S. Collaborative Combat Aircraft programme and similar efforts elsewhere, and its development in Australia — for the vast distances of the Indo-Pacific, where mass and reach are at a premium — points toward a future where uncrewed teammates are central to allied airpower against a peer adversary.
Deployment Map
Home ports from known hull assignments. Operating areas reflect typical AORs — individual deployments will vary.
Timeline
Specifications
Armament
Swappable for ISR, electronic warfare and other roles
Doctrine & Employment
Role
Loyal-wingman uncrewed combat aircraft teaming with crewed fighters to extend reach and survivability.
Design Philosophy
Affordable, modular uncrewed mass to multiply crewed airpower over vast distances.
Employment
Several drones per crewed aircraft scout, jam, surveil and absorb risk in contested airspace.
Threat Context
Australia's bid for the next phase of air warfare across the Indo-Pacific.
How to Compare
Read against the US CCA programme, China's GJ-11 and Boeing's MQ-25.
Operational Patterns
Typical Deployment
Scouting, electronic warfare, surveillance and risk-absorption ahead of crewed fighters across long Indo-Pacific distances.
Typical Task Group
Teamed with F-35A, Super Hornet and E-7 Wedgetail.
Readiness
Developmental; maturing toward operations.
Key Operating Areas
Peer Comparison Matrix
The U.S. CCA effort pursues the same loyal-wingman concept at larger scale.
Video angle: The loyal-wingman race.
China's stealth UCAV is a penetrating strike drone; the Ghost Bat is a teaming aircraft.
Video angle: How the US-aligned and Chinese drones differ.
The MQ-25 is a carrier tanker UAV; both reflect Boeing's uncrewed push.
Video angle: Boeing's uncrewed aircraft.
Combat History
First flight of the Boeing Airpower Teaming System, later named MQ-28 Ghost Bat.
First Australian-designed-and-built combat aircraft in over 50 years.
Known Vulnerabilities
Developmental
Still maturing; not yet an operational combat capability.
Context: Autonomy and teaming are hard, evolving problems.
Mitigation: Iterative flight testing.
Datalink/autonomy reliance
Depends on robust links and trustworthy autonomy in contested EW.
Context: Peer jamming threatens teaming.
Mitigation: On-board autonomy and resilient comms.
Variants
| Variant | Designation | Years | Count | Status | Key Changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MQ-28A Ghost Bat | — | 2021– | — | building | Loyal-wingman collaborative combat aircraft |
Modernization Programmes
Capability maturation & teaming
Maturing autonomy, payloads and integration with crewed RAAF aircraft.
Impact: Moves crewed-uncrewed teaming toward operational capability.
Images
Frequently Asked
When was the first Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat commissioned?
The first Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat entered service in 2021.
Who builds the Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat?
The Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat is built by Boeing Defence Australia.
Curated Research
recommended
Program status
reference
Concept and development
Watch Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat in Action
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