Defence Minister Pat Conroy highlighted Ghost Bat as a leadership example in collaborative combat aircraft, emphasizing enhanced aviator protection and expanded fleet survivability and reach.

First unveiled in 2019 as the Loyal Wingman, Ghost Bat is the first Australian-designed, engineered, and manufactured military combat aircraft intended to operate alongside manned fighters.

Australia has previously ordered eight Block 1 and three Block 2 Ghost Bats, forming part of a broader drone investment of A$10 billion over the next decade.

Australia has awarded Boeing Defence Australia a contract to deliver six more Block 2 MQ-28 Ghost Bat Collaborative Combat Aircraft, moving the Royal Australian Air Force closer to full operational capability.

The government is planning an additional multi-hundred-million to multi-billion funding boost for the MQ-28A Ghost Bat program to accelerate its transition into an operational air combat platform.

Plans include announcing further contracts for six additional MQ-28A Ghost Bats from Boeing, expanding Australia's collaborative combat aircraft program.

To date, the program has logged over 130 flight tests totaling about 150 hours, plus more than 20,000 hours of simulated missions to validate data and capabilities.

The Ghost Bat is designed as a collaborative combat partner with a reconfigurable nose for mission-specific payloads, advanced sensing and targeting, and a range exceeding 2,000 nautical miles at about 38 feet in length.

As a jet-powered drone at 11.7 meters long, the Ghost Bat seeks to extend range and endurance and participate in live-fire weapons testing, with the aim of full operational capability as an air combat asset for the RAAF.

Defence officials describe the Ghost Bat as cutting-edge, noting completion of 2025 test activities and milestones across Block I and II with extensive flight and simulation hours.

Since inception, the program has drawn more than A$2.34 billion in government investment to develop the multi-role unmanned aircraft as a frontline platform.

The Ghost Bat program sits within Australia’s A$4.3 billion commitment to uncrewed aerial systems and is expected to sustain more than 440 high-skilled jobs nationwide.