Australia has awarded Boeing Defence Australia a contract to deliver six additional MQ-28 Ghost Bat Collaborative Combat Aircraft.
Valued at 1.4 billion Australian dollars ($930 million), the deal progresses the Australian-developed platform from a technology demonstrator toward an operational asset for the Royal Australian Air Force.
The agreement comes after the Ghost Bat completed its first live-fire test, successfully launching an AIM-120 AMRAAM at an airborne target.
Under the new contract, Boeing will supply six Block 2 Ghost Bats and develop an upgraded Block 3 prototype over the next three years, aligning with Australia’s goal of achieving operational capability by 2028.
The package also introduces updated design features, including an internal weapons bay.
Australia has previously procured eight Block 1 and three Block 2 aircraft.
The initiative is part of a wider 10-billion Australian dollar ($6-billion) investment plan for drones over the coming decade, with at least 4.3 billion Australian dollars ($2.82 billion) earmarked for uncrewed aerial systems.
The Ghost Bat program sustains more than 440 specialized jobs across the country.
Designed as a loyal wingman, the MQ-28 enhances fighter survivability and mission reach by providing advanced sensing and targeting capabilities.
It includes a modular nose section that accommodates mission-tailored payloads such as AESA radars, EO sensors, electronic attack systems, signals intelligence equipment, and future compact internal weapon bays.
Measuring 38 feet (11.7 meters) in length, the aircraft has a range of more than 2,000 nautical miles (2,302 miles/3,704 kilometers) and costs roughly one-tenth of a manned fighter.
