Overview
- Canberra signed with Boeing Defence Australia for an initial six Block 2 MQ-28A drones, shifting the program from prototyping to production at a cost of A$1.4 billion.
- An MQ-28A fired a Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAM and destroyed a fighter‑class target at Woomera, with an E‑7A Wedgetail exercising custodianship and an F/A‑18F sharing targeting data under human authorization.
- Boeing said weapons integration and testing were completed in under eight months, demonstrating open‑architecture autonomy designed to team with fourth‑, fifth‑ and sixth‑generation aircraft.
- The Ghost Bat is the first military aircraft designed in Australia in more than 50 years and supports more than 440 skilled jobs across a largely domestic supply chain, with a Toowoomba production facility expected to be operational by 2027.
- The purchase forms part of an approximately A$10 billion decade‑long investment in drones and coincided with AUSMIN talks that advanced U.S.–Australia defense cooperation, including plans for hypersonic co‑production and increased U.S. aircraft rotations.