Canberra confirmed a contract with Boeing Defence Australia for an initial six operational Ghost Bat aircraft, marking a shift from prototyping to acquisition. In a crewed–uncrewed exercise, an MQ-28 received targeting data from an E-7A Wedgetail and an F/A-18F Super Hornet before firing a Raytheon AIM-120 to destroy a fighter-class target drone. The MQ-28A is Australia’s first domestically designed military aircraft in more than 50 years, built to operate alongside crewed jets as a loyal wingman with a stated range beyond 3,700 kilometers. The government highlighted multi-year investment, local industry participation and plans for a Toowoomba production facility expected to be operational by 2027. The announcement coincided with AUS–US talks in Washington that also produced agreements on joint hypersonic missile production in Australia and expanded rotations of U.S. aircraft.
