In June of 2025, Boeing and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) carried out first-of-a-kind demonstration of new capabilities by teaming two MQ-28 Ghost Bat uncrewed aircraft with Boeing E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aeroplane.
During the exercise, Boeing and the RAAF successfully conducted a mission against an airborne target. It involved two Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat multirole stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicles (previously known as the Boeing Airpower Teaming System) and a third digital aircraft, all controlled by a single operator onboard an airborne E-7A Wedgetail.
The operator onboard the E-7A controlled both the MQ-28s to emulate the role they play in flying ahead of and protecting 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 Glen Ferguson, director MQ-28 Global Programs. ´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 programme.´
Australian Minister for Defence Industry, the Honourable Pat Conroy MP, acknowledged the milestone achieved by Boeing and the RAAF, saying that the MQ-28 Ghost Bat ´has the potential to turn a single fighter jet into a fighting team, with advanced sensors that are like hundreds of eyes in the sky.´
The software used during the technology demonstration exercise was jointly developed and implemented by Boeing Defence Australia, Defence Science and Technology Group and the US Air Force Research Laboratories.
´It has been an exceptional collaborative effort across organisations from government, contractors, and global partners,´ said Adam Tsacoumangos, director of Air Dominance Programs for Boeing’s Phantom Works.
The latest exercise was part of a series of joint events involving the Boeing-made aircraft and the RAAF assets throughout this year, collectively known as Capability Demonstration 2025 (CD25).
CD25 is focused on demonstrating of the MQ-28 operational effectiveness and aimed to show how collaborative combat aircraft can integrate and operate with the RAAF crewed assets. Future events within CD25 will involve teaming the Ghost Bat with other equipment from the RAAF inventory, including F/A-18F and F-35 jets.
Cover photo: An artist’s rendering of a Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail teaming with two MQ-28 Ghost Bat collaborative combat aircraft (Boeing illustration). All photos and quotations © Boeing. Information from The Boeing Company press releases were used.
