The Australian designed and manufactured MQ-28A Ghost Bat achieved another major milestone, becoming one of the first collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) to successfully engage an aerial target with a live weapon.
The landmark test involved an MQ-28A Ghost Bat launching an AIM-120 advanced medium range air-to-air missile against an Australian designed and manufactured Phoenix Jet uncrewed aerial target.
The MQ-28A Ghost Bat engaged and destroyed the airborne target while operating as a loyal wingman to a Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail over the Woomera Test Range in South Australia.
Wing Commander Phillip Parsons, Detachment Commander Combined Experimental Operation Flight, said the trial was significant for two reasons.
"It proves that the MQ-28A is a world-leading CCA capability, and it demonstrates that the project is on time, and importantly, on target," Wing Commander Parsons said.
"The combined team took the concept of a weapon shot from idea to execution in just nine months."
Armament technician Sergeant James Howitt said he was proud to be a part of the support team that loaded the AIM-120 missile onto the aircraft.
"This is a first for Air Force and one of the first times it's been done anywhere in the world," Sergeant Howitt said.
'Working together with our allies and industry partners is what made it possible.'
Sergeant Howitt drew on his experience loading the F/A-18F Super Hornet while working on the MQ-28A Ghost Bat.
"It's a lot lower than a Super Hornet and we've had to develop new procedures to lift the AIM-120 onto the aircraft," he said.
"I'm used to working with a pilot and doing checks in the cockpit, so it's different in that way too, but we adapted to it quickly."
Investment in uncrewed and autonomous systems is a key priority of the 2024 National Defence Strategy.
Collaborative combat aircraft like the MQ-28A Ghost Bat deliver asymmetric surveillance and strike capabilities, increasing the lethality and survivability of existing crewed platforms.
The increased investment in autonomous collaborative platform capabilities also grows sovereign industry capability for Australia.
Wing Commander Parsons said teamwork was key to the success of the MQ-28A Ghost Bat - the first military aircraft designed in Australia in more than 50 years.
"No one group could have completed this on their own," Wing Commander Parsons said.
"Working together with our allies and industry partners is what made it possible."
The missile demonstration was a collaborative effort by Boeing Defence Australia, the Royal Australian Air Force, Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group, and Defence Science and Technology Group, leveraging the support of foreign stakeholders including the United States Navy and Air Force, Air Force Research Laboratory, Raytheon and other industry partners.
The MQ-28A Ghost Bat project supports more than 440 high-skilled jobs nationwide, including those employed at Boeing Defence Australia and more than 200 Australian suppliers.
