Boeing expands MQ-28 Ghost Bat with more fuel, internal weapons and beyond-line-of-sight links

Boeing used the ILA Berlin Air Show to showcase new combat capabilities for its MQ-28 Ghost Bat collaborative combat aircraft, describing a next step in the drone’s planned technology roadmap that is intended to give customers more range, more payload options, and more flexible mission configuration. The company said the upgrade package, presented as part of “extended combat capabilities,” centers on an increased wingspan that supports carrying an additional 2,000 pounds of fuel, stores, and mission payloads. Boeing also said the MQ-28 can be provisioned to carry either two AMRAAM air-to-air missiles or four small diameter bombs (SDBs) internally, tailoring the aircraft for either air dominance or strike missions without relying on external racks. “Our additional capacity gives operators freedom to balance payload and endurance to configure for the mission at hand,” said Glen Ferguson, MQ-28 global program director. He described the changes as enabling operators to choose between carrying extra fuel for longer-range operations, increasing weapons carriage, or combining both depending on the mission requirements. Boeing characterized the enhancements as part of a “spiral upgrade program,” meaning software and capability improvements will be introduced progressively to aircraft already in the field. Ferguson said the features were developed “in partnership with the Royal Australian Air Force,” and that they will be made available to interested allied countries. Beyond loadout and range, Boeing said the upgrades also build on lessons learned about how unmanned systems will be integrated into joint force operations. Ferguson pointed to “feedback from Air Forces as they understand more about the role and integration of CCAs into joint force operations,” and tied that learning to the inclusion of beyond-line-of-sight capability. Beyond-line-of-sight, or BLOS, generally refers to communications links that allow an aircraft to be operated from a crewed platform, ground station, or naval asset even when it is too far away for direct line-of-sight radio contact. Boeing said BLOS capability is included as part of the MQ-28’s extended combat-focused improvements, and that the overall approach is meant to support operations at greater standoff distances. Boeing also highlighted operational survivability and risk management. Amy List, vice president and managing director of Boeing Defence Australia, said the “advanced maturity” of MQ-28 systems is what allows Boeing to adapt to changing operational environments while reducing transition risk as the platform moves toward operations. She linked the enhanced capability set to the aircraft’s “confirmed low observability characteristics” and “survivability upgrades,” describing these as supporting more flexible mission concepts. According to Boeing, these developments also aim to improve how the MQ-28 can be used alongside other systems, including non-Boeing platforms. The company said the enhancements support “interchangeability and interoperability” for allied forces, and that they provide customers “a highly configurable, mission-adaptable solution” that can be tailored to “sovereign operational needs.” In the defense sector context, the MQ-28 is positioned as part of a broader wave of collaborative combat aircraft, which are designed to work with manned fighters and other networked sensors rather than operate solely as standalone drones. Boeing’s emphasis on payload flexibility, internal weapons carriage, and BLOS communications points to the same underlying procurement pressure: air forces want unmanned systems that can scale their roles across different mission profiles while fitting into larger command, control, and targeting architectures. Boeing did not provide specific details in the release about delivery schedules, contract values, or the timing of when each feature will reach particular fleets. It also did not state which customers besides Australia are expected to adopt the capability set, beyond saying it is available to “interested allied countries,” nor did it disclose performance figures beyond the added wingspan fuel and payload capacity. The company likewise did not address how the platform’s internal weapons provisioning will align with particular national rules for integration, certification, or weapons software updates. What to watch next is how Boeing translates the ILA announcement into measurable program milestones, including the progression of the spiral upgrades across customer aircraft. Industry observers will likely focus on how quickly the additional range and internal AMRAAM and SDB options can be operationalized, and whether BLOS integration proceeds without major latency, communications, or mission planning constraints for each customer’s network environment.

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