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Air Force Considers Pairing MQ-28 Ghost Bat Drone With Next-Gen Fighters

The U.S. Air Force is considering Boeing Australia's MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone as part of the service's gameplan to team an unmanned platform with the forthcoming Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter.

Boeing Australia's MQ-28 Ghost Bat.
Boeing Australia's MQ-28 Ghost Bat. [Credit: Boeing]
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Key Takeaways:

  • The U.S. Air Force is in preliminary discussions to acquire Boeing Australia's MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone to integrate with its forthcoming Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter program.
  • This initiative is considered a "risk reduction mechanism" and a cost-effective way to introduce lower-cost unmanned platforms to build mass for the Air Force.
  • Developed for the Royal Australian Air Force since 2019 and having completed its first flight last March, the MQ-28 is Australia's first locally designed and built aircraft in over 50 years.
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The U.S. Air Force is considering Boeing (NYSE: BA) Australia’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone as part of the service’s gameplan of teaming an unmanned platform with the forthcoming Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter.

Air Force officials are in “preliminary discussions” about purchasing the drone, previously known as Loyal Wingman, which could be a “risk reduction mechanism” for the NGAD platform, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said during an event in Australia last week, Breaking Defense reported. “I think there’s a lot of mutual interest in working together,” Kendall said. “And we’re gonna be sorting out the details over the next few weeks,” he said, according to the news outlet.

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