Australia orders operational Ghost Bat drone for military after weapons test
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The Ghost Bat or MQ-28A is the first military aircraft designed in Australia in more than 50 years.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SYDNEY – Australia said on Dec 9 it had struck a A$1.4 billion (S$1.2 billion) contract with Boeing Defence Australia for six operational Ghost Bat drones
The announcement coincided with talks between Australian and US defence and foreign ministers in Washington, where the security allies agreed to joint production and maintenance of hypersonic cruise missiles in Australia, and more rotations of US bomber aircraft.
The US is pressing its Indo-Pacific ally to increase defence spending
The Ghost Bat or MQ-28A is the first military aircraft designed in Australia in more than 50 years, to fly as a partner with crewed surveillance and fighter jets to a range of more than 3,700km.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said in a statement on Dec 9 the Ghost Bat had recently tested an AIM-120 air-to-air missile against an aerial target, which demonstrated its “growing potential to deliver an operational capability for the Royal Australian Air Force”.
Australia has previously said it will spend A$10 billion on drones over the next decade.
Mr Marles told reporters in Washington, after meeting US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that more infrastructure would be built in Australia’s north to support increased rotations of American military aircraft.
“That includes fighter planes, bombers and intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, and that builds on the existing rotations which are happening right now,” he said.
They had also agreed to “the pre-positioning of significant American assets in Australia”, including Osprey aircraft used by the US Marine Corps.
Australia said in October it would spend A$1.7 billion on a fleet of Ghost Shark autonomous undersea vehicles, developed by its defence force and US start-up Anduril Industries.
The Australian Defence Force has previously said it wants to incorporate autonomous technology to defend a vast coastline and up to three million sq km of northern ocean. REUTERS
