MQ-28 Ghost Bat to feature in EX Valiant Shield 2026

The Boeing Defence Australia-developed MQ-28A Ghost Bat Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) will integrate with US and allied forces during EX Valiant Shield 2026. This marks a significant milestone in the operational development of CCAs and the advancement of human-machine teaming in the Indo-Pacific theatre, says USAF’s Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) in a media release.

During the exercise, the uncrewed MQ-28A will fly in concert with crewed fighter platforms. The CCA will perform a variety of missions including defensive and offensive counter-air missions, providing an opportunity for the joint force to refine tactics, techniques, and procedures for this next evolution of airpower.

The MQ-28A made its maiden flight in Australia in 2021 and first flew in the US earlier this year in a series of flights to validate its stealth performance. During EX Valiant Shield the USAF and its partners will analyse the Ghost Bat’s contribution as a force multiplier designed to extend the reach, awareness, and survivability of crewed platforms in contested environments.

“The future of airpower is a partnership between our greatest assets: our skilled war fighters and the technology that empowers them,” said USAF MAJ Daniel Pesich, Experimental Operations Unit collaborative combat aircraft detachment officer in charge. “By advancing human-machine teaming, we are increasing our power projection while building a more resilient, capable, and lethal joint force.”

The ADF, which will have some 80 personnel involved in different aspects of EX Valiant Shield, will send aviator observers to integrate with the US-led MQ-28A participation in the exercise, supporting Australia’s ongoing effort to mature CCA capabilities. Australia’s contribution includes a RAAF P-8A Poseidon, exercise control staff, and personnel embedded within participating Air Battlespace Management and Integrated Air and Missile Defence units. All exercise participants will need to detect, locate, track and engage shared threats, says Defence.

CCAs are semi-autonomous aircraft that operate under the oversight of human operators. The Department of the Air Force remains steadfast in its commitment to the ethical development of these systems, ensuring that a human remains in the loop for all critical decisions. These platforms are designed to increase sortie generation with less strain on maintenance and personnel, which ultimately makes our entire force more lethal.

Valiant Shield is a biennial, multinational exercise bringing together forces from the USA, Japan, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, pitting them against security challenges at sea, in the air, on land, from space, and in cyberspace, says PACAF. This routine training fosters real-world proficiency in sustaining joint forces at sea, in the air, on land, and in cyberspace in response to a range of missions and threats. The US first conducted Exercise Valiant Shield in 2006 and participation expanded to include Australia, Canada, Japan and New Zealand in 2024.