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Australia advances MQ-28A Ghost Bat production; RAAF to field 10 'loyal‑wingman' drones by 2028

Canberra has cleared the next batch of Boeing MQ-28A Ghost Bat collaborative combat aircraft and moved the programme toward production, with the Royal Australian Air Force targeting 10 operational loyal‑wingman drones by 2028. Officials say the platform will strengthen airpower and regional deterrence.

Discovered 2026-02-17T02:36:09.126694-08:00 | 2026-02-17T02:36:09.126694-08:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

Confirms a shift from development to procurement: this follows Canberra’s earlier A$1bn production contract for an initial six MQ‑28As (source:4631ee26-9905-47e7-bbcf-8f188307208d) and the subsequent A$1.4bn commitment after weapons validation (source:7a2c0294-fcc2-42c9-9b8a-9cd9bd9f7fc0).
Accelerates commercial and supply‑chain opportunities for propulsion, sensors and sustainment as the CCA market scales (see supplier competition coverage (source:fba400bd-7463-493e-afd2-0b725a8b6693)) and reinforces allied interest in the Ghost Bat concept (source:a1318c76-7c8c-4f60-a8cc-2896fe17add0).
Changes operational planning pressures: fielding 10 loyal‑wingmen by 2028 will force doctrinal and training adjustments highlighted in recent analyses of CCA adoption (source:da832a42-c2c2-49cf-aea2-e0701edf0ed8).

Reported By

Army Recognition psnews.com.au interestingengineering.com news.defcros.com news.ssbcrack.com c4isrnet.com