New Details of ‘Ghost Bat’ Drone Revealed: More Weapons, Longer Missions

Specifications for the first combat aircraft manufactured in Australia in over 50 years have been unveiled at the ILA Berlin Air Show in Germany.

A Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone stands at the Rheinmetall stand at the 2026 ILA Berlin Air Show On its opening day in Schoenefeld, Germany on June 10, 2026. Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Details have emerged of an upgraded version of the Ghost Bat, a cutting-edge stealth, uncrewed combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) developed by Boeing Australia and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

Australia will eventually have six Ghost Bats, all manufactured locally and involving input from over 80 Australian firms.

The new design, unveiled at a German air show, features extended combat capabilities that enhance its flexibility, range, and capacity.

Originally called the “Loyal Wingman” when first introduced as a concept in 2019, the 11.7 metres (38 foot)-long uncrewed aircraft is designed to be fully autonomous and capable of flying independently or alongside crewed aircraft for intelligence and surveillance missions.

An increased wingspan of 25 percent compared to earlier designs will allow the MQ-28 to carry an additional 907 kilogrammes (2,000 pounds) of weight, which could be fuel, stores, or mission payloads. That increases its maximum take-off weight to 5.4 tonnes (12,000 pounds).

It can also be configured to carry two advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAMs) or four small-diameter bombs (SDBs) internally, plus three external weapons stations.

“That additional capacity gives operators freedom to balance payload and endurance to configure for the mission at hand, whether that means carrying extra fuel for longer-range operations, increasing weapons carriage, or any combination of both,” said Glen Ferguson, MQ-28 global program director.

“These features, developed in partnership with the Royal Australian Air Force, will be progressively released to the fleet through a spiral upgrade program and are available to interested allied countries.”

The new model will also have what Boeing says are significant software upgrades and a “missionised” nose, which provides additional space for payloads or equipment.

Significantly, the new Ghost Bat will have Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) communication links, enabling the operator to control it from a crewed aircraft, ground station, or naval vessel at unlimited distances.

“The inclusion of features such as BLOS capability is a direct result of our learnings to date, along with feedback from Air Forces as they understand more about the role and integration of CCAs (Collaborative Combat Aircraft) into joint force operations,” Ferguson said.

The first flight of the Ghost Bat was achieved in February 2021. By March 2025, the prototype aircraft had flown more than 100 test flights, underpinned by over 20,000 hours of digital testing.

The aircraft are manufactured by Boeing using advanced robotics, composite materials and digital engineering.