Australia demonstrated a key capability of its MQ-28A Ghost Bat combat drone in recent trials conducted in Woomera. The activity, which the Department of Defence said marks a milestone in the country’s $1 billion investment in developing next-generation autonomous systems, involved a single operator aboard an E-7A Wedgetail controlling two uncrewed aircraft against an airborne target.
The MQ-28A Ghost Bat is the first military combat aircraft designed and manufactured in Australia in over five decades. Developed in partnership with Boeing Defence Australia, the variant is designed to serve as a collaborative drone capable of teaming with existing platforms.
Boeing describes the Ghost Bat as a force multiplier, integrating smart human-machine technology to expand mission capacity and enhance survivability in contested environments. At 11.7 meters long, it can fly over 2,000 nautical miles and operate autonomously to support intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and tactical warning missions. In March, the program reached its 100th test flight milestone.
“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,” Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said. “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.”
The Ghost Bat project supports 350 high-skilled jobs nationwide and draws on more than 200 Australian suppliers. It represents a key priority of the Albanese government, which has dedicated over $6.5 billion in drone capabilities under its 2024 National Defence Strategy.