BLUF
An additional $454 million will be invested in Australia’s Loyal Wingman project to accelerate the delivery of MQ-28A Ghost Bat drones to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).Summary
This article by Charbel Kadib, writing for Defence Connect, makes the following points:
- The investment boost will fund the development of an additional seven aircraft.
- The pledge to develop the additional autonomous Ghost Bat platforms would take the total size of the future fleet to 10.
- The funding boost is tipped to accelerate the delivery of the un-crewed aircraft, now scheduled to enter service with the RAAF in 2024-25.
- Approximately 70 per cent of the next-generation un-crewed aerial systems’ components are designed, engineered and manufactured in Australia, supported by Boeing Australia’s new facility at Wellcamp Airport in Toowoomba, Queensland.
References
Recent Runway Posts related to this topic:
References from the web:
- MAR 2022 Boeing’s Loyal Wingman has been designated as the MQ-28A ‘Ghost Bat’ by Australia—UK Defence Journal
- MAY 2022 Defence orders seven additional Ghost Bats—Australian Defence Magazine
- JUN 2022 Ghost Bats expand un-crewed capabilities—The Australian
Source: Defence Connect Australia
- Link to Source: Defence Connect - Defence Industry News and Analysis
- Media Check: Defence Connect: Defence Industry News and Analysis | National Library of Australia (nla.gov.au)
- RAAF RUNWAY: RATIONALE, GUIDELINES, LEARNING OUTCOMES, ETC |
