Australian air force bullish on Ghost Bat ahead of production decision

An MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone flies in tests for the Royal Australian Air Force. (Australian Department of Defence)

AVALON AIR SHOW — The head of the Royal Australian Air Force’s capability management said here today that the Australian-designed and -built Ghost Bat autonomous drone is “world class” and is a clear leading candidate for the service’s loyal wingman drone program.

“My view of the MQ-28 is it’s world class,” said Australian Air Vice Marshall Nick Hogan. “MQ-28 will be a very strong contender in any options we take forward to the government.”

Like the United States, Australia is persuing a loyal wingman drone program, dubbed Collaborative Combat Aircraft. The unmanned aircraft are designed to fly autonomously in concert with manned fighter jets. As Hogan noted, Canberra has already “sunk a significant amount of developmental dollars” into the Ghost Bat, which is made by Boeing’s Australian subsidiary. However at least one other drone-maker, Anduril, has already suggested that one of its airframes could do the job.

It could be an uphill battle for any competitor since the Ghost Bat has flown more than 100 times and been subject to extensive testing in both the United States and in Australia, according to a Boeing announcement here. It has provided reams of data to warfighters eager to judge its capabilities and weaknesses.

“And what we have learned, in turn, the way it works, autonomously and teams with crew platforms, is exceptional,” Hogan said. “Even if we were to look at another platform or other platforms, I should say, I think the underlying foundation of what we learned from this platform will stay with us for decades.”

The Lucky Country has invested roughly $1 billion AUD ($637 million USD) in the system for 13 aircraft, a significant amount for this relatively small military.

Hogan also suggested that Australia was unlikely to be swayed by the outcome of the American CCA competition, which is currently pitting Anduril’s Fury against an airframe from General Atomics’s Gambit series for CCA Increment 1. (The winner of that competition will likely produce drones that in the future will fly with the F-47, the Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter whose high-profile contract recently went to Boeing.)

RELATED: ‘I don’t see it’: Before their CCA drones even take to the air, Anduril and GA trade shots

However, Australia and the US are already sharing data about autonomous drone performance, Hogan pointed out. Japan, the US and Australia have an agreement to share data “and we will regularly talk with them in terms of requirements.”

“The fact that the US may be chasing through Increment 1 a different version, or they’ve down selected, I don’t think that would suggest that MQ-28 might not feature in that going forward,” Hogan said. “I mean, that’s a decision for the company — Boeing itself — and in the government-to-government arrangement for us to discuss. But I would not discount that aircraft as it sits right now, moving forward.”

The data from Ghost Bat is clearly heavily influencing how the RAAF thinks about CCAs.

“I just think we don’t quite understand how much this will change Air Force going forward,” Hogan said.

Hogan said the air force would be putting its recommendation to the government for the CCA program within 12 months.