Aviation News – Australia has signed a contract with Boeing to procure its first operational batch of 6 MQ-28 Ghost Bat uncrewed aircraft, marking a major step toward integrating the domestically developed system into Royal Australian Air Force service.
According to local reporting, the agreement covers an initial six aircraft valued at roughly AU$1 billion (US$660 million). The deal transitions the Ghost Bat program from years of flight testing into formal acquisition and represents the first Australian-designed military aircraft to enter service since the GAF Nomad of the 1970s.
The MQ-28 Ghost Bat is designed to operate alongside crewed fighter jets, using artificial intelligence to perform tasks such as reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and air combat support. Its modular payload bays and long-range capabilities allow it to execute multiple mission types while reducing risk to human pilots, offering the RAAF a bolt of enhanced operational flexibility.
