Name: Australias MQ-28 Ghost Bat passes final test, enters production
Uploaded: 2025-12-09T06:43:49.493Z
Duration: 1 min 25 s
Description: Australia’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat has completed its final test in South Australia, successfully eliminating an aerial target during a training exercise. The milestone clears the way for production of the unmanned aircraft, which has cost $1.4 billion to develop.

Australia’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat has completed its final test in South Australia, successfully eliminating an aerial target during a training exercise. The milestone clears the way for production of the unmanned aircraft, which has cost $1.4 billion to develop.

Woomera

Australia's new Ghostbat MQ-28A drone has successfully completed its final test during a training exercise in South Australia, where it eliminated an aerial target. This achievement moves the unmanned aircraft into the production phase, with a development cost of 1.4 billion dollars.

Jointly developed by Boeing and the Royal Australian Air Force, the Ghostbat will operate alongside traditional fighter jets and is expected to enhance both lethality and survivability. The first of six drones is scheduled for production by the end of 2026, with plans for deployment to border regions and potential export to allied nations.

Australia's MQ-28 Ghost Bat passes final test, enters production

Locked, loaded and ready for combat, Australia's new lethal line of defence, the Ghostbat MQ-28A drone has passed its final test. In a training exercise yesterday over outback South Australia, the unmanned aircraft successfully took out an aerial target. So a full combat replication test very successfully achieved. And propelling it to the production phase of its development, set to cost 1.4 billion dollars. Developed by Boeing and the Royal Australian Air Force, the Ghostbat will fly alongside traditional fighter jets, providing an extra set of eyes in the sky. It's going to give us enhanced lethality of our crew platforms and it's going to give us enhanced survivability of our crew platforms as well, so a real force multiplier. It's the first military aircraft to be designed and built in Australia in more than 50 years and will be available to export to our defence allies, while others will be deployed to vulnerable parts of our border. So we can position these to the north of Australia to really pose questions in potential adversaries' minds. The first of an initial six drones is expected to roll off the production line by the end of 2026. Taylor Ryan, 10 News.

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