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2025-06-20 Science & Technology
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MQ-28 Ghost Bats Controlled From E-7 Wedgetail In Loyal Wingman Test
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[TWZ] MQ-28 drones can provide organic protection and extended sensor capabilities for lumbering support aircraft like the E-7 early warning jet.
MQ-28 Ghost Bat drones have demonstrated their ability to engage an aerial target while under the direction of the crew of a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft. The RAAF plans to conduct more crewed-uncrewed teaming tests this year with the MQ-28, including with F/A-18F Super Hornets and F-35A Joint Strike Fighters, as its plans for the drone evolve.
Boeing announced the MQ-28/E-7 test on Monday, which involved a pair of real Ghost Bats and a third drone simulated entirely in a digital environment, along with the Wedgetail, but did not explicitly say where or when it had occurred. Since the MQ-28’s first flight in 2021, RAAF Base Woomera and its surrounding range complex have been, together, a central hub for Ghost Bat testing in Australia. To date, Boeing has delivered eight MQ-28s to the RAAF in a Block 1 prototype configuration, and the company is on contract to supply three more Ghost Bats in an improved Block 2 configuration.
“During the mission, a single operator onboard the E-7A took control of the uncrewed MQ-28s emulating the role they play in flying ahead of and protecting crewed assets,” according to a Boeing release. Underlying software used in the test “was jointly developed and implemented by Boeing Defence Australia, Defence Science and Technology Group, and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratories.”
“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,” Glen Ferguson, Boeing’s director of MQ-28 Global Programs, said in an accompanying statement. “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.”
“It is another tangible proof point of the maturity of our program.”
The idea of using MQ-28s as uncrewed loyal wingmen to help protect high-value assets like E-7s has been part of the RAAF’s vision for using the drones from the very start of what is also known as the Airpower Teaming System (ATS) program. It is a mission set that has been envisioned for other next-generation drones for some time, as well. In addition to providing an extra layer of defense for important, but often vulnerable support aircraft like the Wedgetail, this would also help free up crewed combat jets for other missions.
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Posted by Skidmark 2025-06-20 02:02||
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