Boeing Unveils AMRAAM-Armed MQ-28 Ghost Bat Combat Drone

Boeing unveiled an upgraded version of its MQ-28 Ghost Bat autonomous combat drone at the 2026 Farnborough International Airshow. The new variant features a wing 25 percent larger than the baseline aircraft, raising maximum takeoff weight from 10,000 to 12,000 pounds. To keep its radar signature low, the aircraft carries two internal weapon stations — one on each side of the fuselage — with three additional external stations available when a lower-observable profile is not required.

Each internal station can carry one AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) or two Small Diameter Bombs. The aircraft demonstrated an air-to-air kill chain on December 9, 2025, when an MQ-28 teamed with an E-7A Wedgetail and an F/A-18F Super Hornet to destroy a fighter-class target drone at Woomera Test Range — one of the platform’s first live demonstrations of air-to-air combat capability.

Specifications place the aircraft at 38 feet in length, capable of Mach 0.9, with a ceiling above 40,000 feet, range beyond 2,000 nautical miles, and useful load above 4,500 pounds. Australia remains the lead customer, having allocated A$1.4 billion in December 2025. Germany is described as the clearest near-term export target, with Rheinmetall, Diehl Defence and Rohde & Schwarz serving as integration partners; a Luftwaffe fielding decision is anticipated in 2029.

Japan has participated in testing, and the aircraft deployed to California in May 2026, pointing to broadening allied interest. Rivals Anduril and General Atomics currently hold a stronger near-term position through US Air Force production contracts, though Boeing leads in publicly demonstrated flight and weapons testing.

Source: Army Recognition, Farnborough 2026 exhibition announcements.