Boeing announced on Monday the name of its new combat drone, the MQ-28A Ghost Bat. The drone, which is produced in Australia, uses artificial intelligence and is part of what was formerly known as the Loyal Wingman Project – an initiative for fighter pilots to become an unmanned partner in the sky.
“The introduction of the new popular name is a rare and special moment in the aviation history for our RAAF partners and industry team of over 35 Australian suppliers,” said Glen Ferguson, Director of Australia’s Boeing Airpower Teaming System, in a statement on the Boeing website .
“The selection of the Ghost Bat, an Australian-born mammal known to gather together in a pack for discovery and hunting, reflects the unique characteristics of the aircraft’s sensors in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, and is an appropriate name. for this pioneering ability. “
This new generation of drones is designed to fly alongside manned fighter jets and help with everything from interfering with radar to surveillance or even shooting at targets.
Ghost Bat is the first fighter jet to be manufactured in Australia in over 50 years and is a signal to the world that Australian politicians are serious about investing more money in the defense industry to counter what they are increasingly looking for. hostile China seen.
And that hawkishness in Australia is turning into big money for US-based companies like Boeing, which generated about US62 ($ 86) billion in revenue last year.
“As air warfare becomes more complex and sophisticated, remotely piloted aircraft and other unmanned platforms are becoming increasingly vital assets for modern military,” Australian Defense Minister Dutton said in a statement published online.
Dutton unveiled the new name during a ceremony at RAAF base Amberley in Queensland, where politicians hinted at what makes Ghost Bat so potentially useful in war.
“This new capability allows us to introduce more mass into the battlefield. An enemy aircraft would not only have to fight with our crew capacity, but also numbers of unmanned aircraft such as the MQ-28A Ghost Bat,” Dutton said.
“The three test flight series were successful and with a range of 3,700 kilometers, it complements our deterrent target to keep the forces and infrastructure of a potential adversary at risk from a greater distance.”
And while Dutton has been pushing hard for more military projects in the country in Australia, he may not have much time to influence the direction of Australian drones. The Conservative government down under is up for re-election in May and Dutton’s Liberal Party is not doing well in the polls so far.
Edit Note: Release dates within this article are based in the US but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.
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