Boeing’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat To Fly Alongside U.S. Fighters In Valiant Shield Exercise
Boeing’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat, a Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) developed for Australia, is flying alongside US manned aircraft during Exercise Valiant Shield 2026 in the Pacific, the US Air Force has confirmed, marking a notable test of a platform it has not committed to buying.
The exercise, which is taking place this week, involves the semi-autonomous MQ-28 flying “a variety of missions … to include defensive and offensive counter air missions,” according to an announcement from Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). The aircraft is operating from Rota, in the Northern Mariana Islands, and images released by PACAF show it taxiing and taking off alongside US Air Force F-35s and F-22s, US Marine Corps F-35s, and US Navy F/A-18Es.
The use of the Ghost Bat is notable because the US Air Force has recently contracted for two different CCA designs, the YFQ-44 and FQ-42, but has not selected the MQ-28. Air Force operators flew the YFQ-44 prototype in an exercise in April at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Jensen, commander of the Air Force’s Experimental Operations Unit, said in February that the service planned to bring CCAs to major exercises “as soon as we can.”
Meanwhile, Boeing has been developing the MQ-28, which debuted in 2021 in Australia. The wingman is expected to enter operational service in 2028. This puts the aircraft ahead of the US Air Force’s CCA programme, which has not committed to a firm timeline for operationalising its own CCAs. Like the FQ-42 and FQ-44, the MQ-28 is expected to be able to carry munitions to extend fighters’ strike capabilities. Boeing has also said its modular design lends itself to regular updates.
The US Air Force’s Experimental Operations Unit, which has been tasked with developing and refining tactics, techniques, and procedures for CCAs, is involved with Valiant Shield.
