Page 84 - Australian Defence Magazine Feb-Mar 2023

84 AIRPOWER
MQ-28A GHOST BAT
FEBRUARY-MARCH 2023 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
DEFENCE
LEFT: The first Boeing Airpower Teaming System air vehicle flew from Woomera for the first time in February 2021
BELOW:
An MQ-28A displayed publicly for the first time during the naming ceremony at RAAF Amberley, with what appears to be an infra-red search and track system above the nose
NIGEL PITTAWAY
a local, expanding supply chain with us as we progress the MQ-28A Ghost Bat program,” said Ferguson.
“A growing aerospace industry will offer a range of career opportunities within the next decade. Across Boeing Aus- tralia’s key programs, including the final assembly for MQ- 28A Ghost Bat at the Wellcamp Defence and Aerospace Precinct in the coming years, we expect to see an increas- ing need for aviation roles including production line staff, maintenance staff, engineers, and more,” Ferguson noted.
“Boeing will continue to manufacture and test aircraft, as well as the supporting capabilities, with support from our Australian industry team throughout 2023 as we ex- pand production capacity and deliver to RAAF commit- ments. These requirements continue to expand as we move towards our aim of developing an operational capa- bility for Defence.”
not one. The aircraft was displayed at November’s Zhuhai All China Air Show.
Designated the FH-97A and produced by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the aircraft sported an electro-optical targeting system on top of the fuselage suggesting it is primarily intended for air- to-air missions.
Interviewed by the English-language Global Times, chief designer Deng Shuai referred to the Loyal Wingman con- cept and described the FH-97A “as not only a sensor but also an ammunition depot, and also an intelligent assistant for pilots”.
“It can extend a pilot’s situational awareness and scope of attack, and by using FH-97As in large numbers, each loyal wingman drone can become an intelligent node in the air combat system,” he detailed.
The concept aircraft is equipped with a multi-band da- talink system that is compatible with a range of Chinese combat aircraft and can carry eight infrared-homing air-to- air missiles internally as well as a range of pods and fuel, other missiles, and precision-guided weapons.
The platform is designed for conventional runway take- off and landing but could be reconfigured for shipboard operation, Deng said.
To date, however, there are no indications that the FH- 97A has progressed or will progress beyond the concept and mock-up stage. ■
“THE SWIFT INTEGRATION OF NEW SENSOR PACKAGES IS FACILITATED BY THE MQ-28A’S DIGITAL OPEN ARCHITECTURE”
Meanwhile the US Air Force is reportedly ready to begin flight experiments with the Ghost Bat, although no details have been released. Lieutenant-General Clinton Hinote, Deputy Chief of Staff for USAF Futures, told the US Breaking Defense website last
September that the service was “getting ready to take de- livery” of an MQ-28A prototype through the Pentagon’s re- search and engineering office, also known as OSD (R&E).
A Pentagon spokesman confirmed that OSD (R&E) was involved in development and experimentation activities in- volving Ghost Bat, stating that “OSD (R&E) continually works with the services to validate technologies that are key to advancing and fielding next generation capabilities.” He declined to give further details.
CHINA’S LOYAL WINGMAN
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Beijing has jus- tified that phrase with a “loyal wingman” concept model virtually identical to the Ghost Bat, albeit with two engines