Ahead of the Rest: MQ-28 Nears Australian Service

In 2028, the Royal Australian Air Force aims to become the first air arm in the world to field an advanced collaborative combat aircraft (CCA). Formerly known as the Loyal Wingman, the Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat has been developed entirely in Australia but has significant global opportunities, especially as it is arguably the most mature of the CCA programs.

The MQ-28 first flew in February 2021, and the test fleet has accumulated some 230 hours over 200 sorties. Eight Block 1 aircraft were built, and the second of them—retired from test duties for some time—is on static display at the Farnborough International Airshow. The last three Block 1 air vehicles will follow shortly as six Block 2 aircraft take over the test burden.

Among the Block 2’s improvements, the most obvious is a wing with 25% greater area, permitting an increase in maximum takeoff weight from 10,000 to 12,000 pounds and a corresponding rise in useful payload to 4,500 pounds. The internal weapons bays are longer, accommodating up to four Small Diameter Bombs or two missiles the size of the AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM). Boeing has developed a revised modular nose that allows different sensor payloads to be fitted, and a satcom antenna enables beyond-line-of-sight control.

Boeing has established a production facility in Toowoomba, Queensland, which will initially build Block 2 aircraft. A Block 3 with further improvements is expected to enter production in 2029.

The company’s test fleet has not flown that much, but because development is performed within the digital domain, testing is essentially a validation of modeling and results. Some notable capabilities have nevertheless been demonstrated in the air. In June 2025, an MQ-28 conducted find-fix-target missions in which it autonomously detected, tracked, and designated aerial targets within an assigned area.

In December 2025, an MQ-28 destroyed a jet-powered drone target with an AIM-120 fired at the Woomera test range in South Australia. An operator aboard an RAAF E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft controlled the CCA and authorized the engagement, while an F/A-18F Super Hornet provided targeting data across the networked force. Boeing is in talks with MBDA about launching a Meteor air-to-air missile from the MQ-28. Fit checks have been conducted, but no schedule has been set for the demonstration.

Earlier this year, an MQ-28 flew three sorties from Naval Air Station Point Mugu in California in cooperation with the U.S. Navy, and in late June and early July the type took part in the Valiant Shield exercise in the Pacific. Nine sorties were flown from the island of Rota, north of Guam, among them operations with U.S. Air Force F-35s and F-15EXs. Three back-to-back sorties demonstrated a turnaround time between flights of just 19 minutes.

International interest in the MQ-28 is high, and Boeing sees opportunities in many nations. In Germany, an industrial team has been formed to bid for air force requirements: Rheinmetall was named first as Boeing’s strategic partner, Rohde & Schwarz and Diehl Defence joined in June, and sensor and electronic warfare specialist Hensoldt has now completed the team. Internationally, Eaton (weapons launch and release systems) and Leonardo (Skyward infrared search-and-track sensors) have been named as partners.

Boeing Australia designed the Ghost Bat as a simple aircraft with ease of operation and manufacturing in mind. Boeing Commercial Airplanes played a major role in designing the production system so that manufacturing facilities can be established easily and rapidly anywhere. For the MQ-28, the company favors small facilities in customer nations, allowing them to tailor their own air vehicles to national operational and sovereignty requirements.