If you thought drones were just for hobbyists buzzing around the park, think again. Boeing and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) have been busy showing off something much bigger, bolder, and far more futuristic: the MQ-28 Ghost Bat.
This isn’t your average flying machine—it’s a sleek, uncrewed combat aircraft designed to team up with fighter jets and make air combat smarter, safer, and a whole lot more connected.
Now here’s where it gets even cooler: the Ghost Bat just wrapped up a big round of demonstrations, proving it’s not just a fancy concept on paper. These flights were part of the RAAF’s Capability Demonstration 2025 program, and guess what? They finished four months early. That’s like turning in your homework way ahead of time and still getting top marks.
Since its debut, the MQ-28 has already logged 150 flight hours and racked up more than 20,000 hours in simulations. That’s a whole lot of virtual flying before it even touched the skies. And during these recent demos, the Ghost Bat got to stretch its wings in some pretty complex missions.
We’re talking coordinated flights with multiple Ghost Bats, quick deployments to RAAF Base Tindal, and even teaming up with the E-7A Wedgetail, the RAAF’s flying command center.
But the real magic? The Ghost Bat showed off its brainpower. It proved it could share data seamlessly with both uncrewed and crewed aircraft. Imagine fighter pilots getting a constant feed of real-time intel from their robotic wingman—it’s like having eyes in the back of your head, only way cooler. This kind of teamwork makes it easier for mission commanders to see the bigger picture and make smarter decisions on the fly.
So far, the program has ticked off the first four steps of the air combat chain. The next chapter? Things get a lot more action-packed. Boeing and the RAAF are gearing up for operational testing that will include air-to-air weapons trials, likely kicking off later this year or in early 2026. Yep, the Ghost Bat isn’t just flying around—it’s getting ready to fight alongside human pilots.
It’s clear that Boeing’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat isn’t just another prototype destined for the museum. It’s shaping up to be a real game-changer in modern air combat, blending the strengths of human decision-making with the speed and precision of autonomous systems. And the best part? This is only the beginning.
Source: Boeing
