Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat

MQ-28 Ghost Bat
MQ-28 Ghost Bat at the 2023 Avalon Airshow
General information
Type
National originAustralia
Manufacturer
StatusBlock 1 aircraft: in flight testing,
Block 2 aircraft: in development and production,
Block 3 aircraft: to be developed
Primary userRoyal Australian Air Force (future)
Prototypes8 Block 1
History
Manufactured2019–present
Introduction date2028 (planned)
First flight27 February 2021

The Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat, previously known as the Boeing Airpower Teaming System (ATS), is a stealth, multirole, unmanned combat aerial vehicle under development by Boeing Australia for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). It is designed as a force multiplier aircraft capable of flying alongside crewed aircraft for support as part of an integrated system (loyal wingman) including space-based capabilities, and performing autonomous missions independently using artificial intelligence.

As of October 2024, eight Block 1 vehicles have been built with more than 100 hours of flight testing. Operational tests have taken place at Australia’s RAAF Woomera Test Range Complex approximately one out of every three months, with the aircraft flying one to three sorties daily, including some flights at night. The aircraft has also been operated from RAAF Base Tindal demonstrating the ability to be deployed from a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III and also be controlled by an airborne Boeing E-7 Wedgetail. Three additional Block 2 airframes featuring an improved wing and GPS/INS will be produced by 2025. In December 2025, it was announced that a further six Block 2 airframes would be produced and that development would start on an enhanced Block 3 prototype.

As of 2025, the aircraft are designed and built in Melbourne at Boeing Aerostructures Australia with future production planned in Wellcamp, Toowoomba. The wing is Boeing's largest resin-infused single composite component, featuring electromechanical actuators and controllers for the primary flight control system, and has a modular, swappable mission nose package system.