Page 82 - Australian Defence Magazine Feb-Mar 2023

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AIRPOWER
MQ-28A GHOST BAT
FEBRUARY-MARCH 2023 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
BOEING AUSTRALIA
LEFT: Boeing and Defence unveiled the Airpower Teaming System concept at the Avalon Airshow in February 2019
In September 2021 the flight test envelope was extended with two aircraft undertaking separate programs. The third prototype is understood to have commenced flight testing in late 2022, with all three now contributing critical data to inform the type’s development program going forward.
In May 2022 then-Defence Minister Peter Dutton an- nounced – in the final week of the Federal election cam-
paign – that seven more Ghost Bats would be acquired as part of an additional $454 million investment in the MQ- 28A program, increasing to 10 the number of production- standard Ghost Bats on order and expanding industrial capability to enable the system to enter service with the RAAF in the 2024-25 timeframe.
According to Boeing, manufacture of MQ-28A air ve- hicles continued at Fisherman’s Bend throughout 2022, along with mission system and payload development.
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
Experience in advanced robotics, composite materials and digital engineering had enabled the Fisherman’s Bend site to take an ‘innovative approach’ to the creation and pro- duction of the MQ-28A program, said Paul Watson, direc- tor of the MQ-28 production system.
“We approached the design of the air vehicle and produc- tion system together with a ‘design for cost’ philosophy,” he said.
“While we’ve developed a clean sheet design featuring many new technologies, we’ve also made smart decisions by incorporating off-the-shelf components and leveraging digital engineering to optimise both speed-to-market and design producibility.”
The wings are created using the largest resin-infused single composite components on any Boeing-made military or commercial aircraft, utilising experience gained in pro- ducing the trailing edge for Boeing 787 airliner wings.
For the RAAF, co-development of the MQ-28A Ghost Bat enables the exploration of the future of smart human- machine teams – designed to balance capability and af- fordability, while also achieving the force quantities neces- sary for future mission needs.
GHOST BAT DEVELOPMENT
Following the surprise unveiling of a full-scale MQ-28A mock-up at the Avalon Airshow in February 2019, the first of three prototypes ordered under Air Force Minor Program Def 6014 was formally rolled out from Boeing’s Fishermans Bend facility in Melbourne only 14 months later having passed ‘weight on wheels’ and ‘systems power-on’ milestones.
Extensive ground tests to validate navigation and con- trol systems were followed by the aircraft’s maiden flight at Woomera in February 2021, during which it followed a pre-planned route at different speeds and altitudes. The drone was monitored by a Boeing test pilot located on site.
Just days later Boeing announced the Commonwealth would co-develop an additional three MQ-28As under a $115 million agreement “to support the maturation of the aircraft design, evolution of current and future payloads and create the sustainment system for the aircraft in operations.”
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