A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft and two in-flight MQ-28 Ghost Bat collaborative combat aircraft – along with a third digital Ghost Bat – have successfully conducted a mission against an airborne target in a demonstration, the company announced on 16 June.
The first of its kind trial saw a single operator onboard the E-7A taking control of the Ghost Bats and emulating the uncrewed aircrafts’ envisioned roles of airborne situational awareness and protection for crewed assets.
“This trial demonstrates family-of-systems integration, the strength of our open systems architecture, and is a critical first step towards integrating mission partners’ software and communications systems natively into the E-7A Wedgetail,” said Director of MQ-28 Global Programs Glen Ferguson.
“It not only validated a key element of the MQ-28 concept of operations, but also how collaborative combat aircraft can expand and enhance the role of the E-7A to meet future force requirements,” added Ferguson, noting that the successful demonstration also highlights the maturity of the program.
Boeing noted that the software used during the demonstration was jointly developed and implemented by Boeing Defence Australia, the Australian Department of Defence’s (DoD) Defence Science and Technology Group, as well as US Air Force Research Laboratories.
The latest demonstration is part of a year-long series of trials which aim to assess the Ghost Bat’s ability to integrate and operate with RAAF crewed assets under the Capability Demonstration 2025 (CD25) program. Subsequent events will involve teaming with other assets, including the RAAF’s Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet and Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The Australian government earlier announced an A$399 million funding package intended to advance development of key systems for the Ghost Bat. The funding also calls for construction of three new next-generation Block 2 aircraft. Officials noted that the funding will enable further development on sensor and mission payloads, an integrated combat system and autonomous systems.
The Ghost Bat is a joint development between Boeing Defence Australia and the DoD. The company has already been contracted to deliver 10 MQ-28A Block 1 aircraft for the RAAF.
The Ghost Bat will have a range of more than 3,700 km and has been designed to fly as a partner with crewed RAAF platforms. As a groundbreaking project, it enables the DoD to investigate critical factors such as the level of automation and autonomy, use of artificial intelligence, and human-machine teaming concepts that meet Australia’s legal and ethical obligations.
by Jr Ng
