After officially bearing the name MQ-28A Ghost Bat on 21 March 2022, the combat reconnaissance drone (UCAV), formerly known as the Boeing Loyal Wingman, has now won a procurement contract from the Australian Department of Defence.
With a disbursement of Aus$454 million (US$319.6 million), the Royal Australian Air Force will receive 10 Ghost Bats from Boeing Australia.
Quoted from Janes.com (23/5/2022), the Australian Liberal Party on May 15 will also accelerate the induction of the first MQ-28A Ghost in 2024-2025. Prior to this, the Australian Government had disbursed investment funds to develop Loyal Wingman which had cost Aus$150 million since 2017.
The Australian Department of Defense said that the previous phase of the program had contracted for three Ghost Bat units under the Loyal Wingman-Advanced Development Program – Airpower Teaming System ( ATS).
The MQ-28A Ghost Bat is 11.6 meters long and has a flying range of 3,704 km. The hallmark of the MQ-28A Ghost Bat is the 2.59 meter long nose, where the internal volume of the 1.47 meter nose piece can be configured for payload. It is possible for the operator to place the payload according to the mission being carried out. Boeing said it would only take a few hours to replace the payload on the Ghost Bat.
The MQ-28A Ghost Bat is designed as a companion to the RAAF's F/A-18F Super Hornet and F-35A Lightning II fighter jets, the Ghost Bat is made with composite materials and later Ghost Bat will be equipped with artificial intelligence technology that allows teaming ) between manned and unmanned platforms.
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