Boeing revamps Australian-built Ghost Bat with longer range, hidden weapons PHOTO

Boeing has disclosed new details about the next-generation configuration of its MQ-28 Ghost Bat uncrewed combat aircraft at the 2026 Singapore Airshow, the first military aircraft designed, manufactured, and flown in Australia in more than 50 years.

It outlined significant structural and capability upgrades aimed at extending range, increasing weapons capacity, and improving mission flexibility.

The program is now shifting from a technology demonstrator toward a deployable collaborative combat aircraft designed to operate alongside crewed fighters in high-end operations, according to a review of the event by TWZ.

Originally developed in Australia under the Airpower Teaming System initiative, the MQ-28 is intended to function as a “loyal wingman,” flying semi-autonomously to provide sensing, electronic warfare, and strike support while reducing risk to crewed aircraft. The forthcoming Block 3 version represents the most substantial redesign so far, incorporating structural growth and expanded mission payload options.

The MQ-28 Ghost Bat is an uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) developed by Boeing Australia with support from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), designed as a force multiplier for advanced multi-mission air combat.

Program director Glen Ferguson provided an update during the Singapore Airshow. Boeing is producing the aircraft using advanced robotics, composite materials, and digital engineering, including innovations such as robotic drill and fill, shimless assembly, and full-size determinant assembly to reduce production costs.

The Block 3 configuration will follow Block 2 aircraft currently in production for the RAAF. Australia has already acquired eight Block 1 MQ-28s as pre-production prototypes and, late last year, awarded Boeing Defense Australia contracts for six additional Block 2 aircraft after previously ordering three of the same standard. At the same time, Canberra also funded development of the enhanced Block 3 variant.

The new version is expected to include an internal weapons bay sized to carry one AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile or two GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs or equivalents. A pair of GBU-53/B StormBreaker glide bombs is another possible option. “The best language to use is what we provision for in the weapons bay,” Ferguson explained. “The reality is, because we are modular, and because we have an open architecture, and because we have the ability for people to do things on their own, we can put any weapon in, across the board […] Now, which ones we use is really up to customers.”

In a recent milestone, a Block 2 aircraft conducted a live-fire test carrying a single AMRAAM on an external pylon while operating as a loyal wingman alongside an RAAF E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft, with support from an F/A-18F Super Hornet. The live missile “successfully engage and destroy” an Australian-made Phoenix jet-powered target drone. During the exercise, the F/A-18 acquired the target, the E-7 authorized the engagement and managed elements of the kill chain, and the MQ-28 was given authority to execute the strike.

A key feature of the MQ-28 is its modular architecture, allowing different munitions, sensors, and payloads to be integrated, including the ability to swap out the entire nose section. Boeing representatives said the enlarged wing design is primarily intended to improve endurance and range rather than simply increase payload capacity.

According to TWZ, Boeing is positioning the Block 3 configuration for potential sales to allied Indo-Pacific air forces amid growing demand for collaborative combat aircraft capable of extending fighter reach at a lower cost while operating in contested airspace.

By Nazrin Sadigova