Page 81 - Australian Defence Magazine Feb-Mar 2023

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2023 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
AIRPOWER MQ-28A GHOST BAT 81
AS SUCH, this is a remarkably appropriate name (as chosen by the Chief of Air Force from competition entries) for the MQ-28A uncrewed teaming aircraft developed by Boeing Australia in collaboration with Defence; the first military aircraft to be designed, engineered and manufactured in Australia for more than 50 years.
Initially named the Boeing Airpower Team System but more commonly known as the Loyal Wingman, the plat- form was officially designated the MQ-28A Ghost Bat in a ceremony at RAAF Base Amberley in March 2022.
“No other nation has developed a teaming air capability, but with this aircraft we are well on our way to producing one – an operational system that can deliver a unique ca- pability to our Defence Force,” the Head of Air Force Ca- pability, Air Vice-Marshal Robert Denney, said at the time.
“It started with the generic title of Loyal Wingman but it doesn’t have to be a wingman: it can operate without crewed platforms in proximity, opening up new areas beyond their reach. Unlike a conventional aircraft, which gives away its role by what it carries under its wings, there’s a little bit of secret in this aircraft.”
MISSION PAYLOADS
Powered by what Defence describes as a mature, affordable commercial turbofan engine, a declared range of more than 2,000 nautical miles, “fighter-like” performance and lever-
aging artificial intelligence, the aircraft is set to operate in- dependently or in a networked force alongside the RAAF’s F-35A Lightning II and F/A-18F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growler airborne electronic attack aircraft, and E-7A Wed- getail airborne early warning and control platforms.
The MQ-28A has an overall length of 38 feet and a wing- span of 24 feet. Mission-specific sensors and other pay- loads are carried in an unusually large nose section 2.5 metres long and 1.5 cubic metres in volume which can be completely detached and swapped out on operations to en- able different mission profiles per sortie.
As disclosed by AVM Denny, these will include intelli- gence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), as well as air-to-air and air-to-ground combat roles. An MQ-28A dis- played publicly for the first time during the naming cer- emony at RAAF Amberley appeared to be deploying an infra-red search and track system.
The swift integration of new sensor packages is facili- tated by the MQ-28A’s digital open architecture, which will eventually enable industry vendors and export customers to develop their own mission payloads for the aircraft.
The platform’s flexibility will provide air forces with maxi- mum deployment compatibility and the ability to support distributed air operations, complementing and extend- ing the roles of existing crewed and uncrewed aircraft.
Defence has so far allocated funding for 10 MQ-28A Ghost Bat aircraft for the RAAF
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