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Australia to field Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat as operational Collaborative Combat Aircraft by 2028

Boeing says Block II of its MQ-28 Ghost Bat has entered ground testing and the company aims to begin assembling operational aircraft within two years, positioning Australia to field the world's first operational collaborative combat aircraft capability by 2028 and to generate international interest for future export blocks.

Discovered 2026-02-01T21:23:42.785183-08:00 | 2026-02-01T21:23:42.785183-08:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • Australia is slated to field an operational Collaborative Combat Aircraft capability by 2028, driven by Boeing's plan to start assembling operational MQ-28 Block II aircraft within two years — a concrete timeline for CCA deployment.

  • The move signals early export and procurement momentum for loyal-wingman CCAs, building on Australia’s prior programme commitments and live-fire validation ([source:7a2c0294-fcc2-42c9-9b8a-9cd9bd9f7fc0]).

  • Operationalisation accelerates demand for autonomy, sensors and propulsion supply chains and underlines allied service interest in CCA concepts (see engine-market competition and wider service interest) ([source:fba400bd-7463-493e-afd2-0b725a8b6693],[source:a1318c76-7c8c-4f60-a8cc-2896fe17add0]).

Reported By

Flying Magazine aerospaceglobalnews.com defence-industry.eu interestingengineering.com The War Zone Air Data News
Sources Tracked
12
First Seen
2026-02-01T21:23:42.785183-08:00
Latest Update
2026-02-09T14:15:33.431928-08:00
Coverage
Defense

Sources

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