In a significant leap for collaborative combat, Boeing and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) have successfully completed the first-ever air-to-air missile engagement by an autonomous aircraft. The historic mission saw an MQ-28A Ghost Bat destroy a fighter-class target drone with an AIM-120 AMRAAM missile, marking a major maturation of the uncrewed system as a combat-capable Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
The test demonstrated a fully integrated, force-level operation. Launched from separate locations, an MQ-28 Ghost Bat teamed with a RAAF E-7A Wedgetail airborne command post and an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter. A human operator in the E-7A maintained custodianship of the autonomous MQ-28 for safety and engagement oversight throughout the mission.
Operating in combat formation, the Super Hornet used its sensors to identify and track the target drone. This targeting data was then shared securely across the networked “loyal wingman” team. Following the data handoff, the MQ-28 adjusted its position, received final authorization from the Wedgetail, and fired its missile to successfully eliminate the target.
“This is the first time an autonomous aircraft has completed an air-to-air weapon engagement with an AIM-120 missile, establishing the MQ-28 as a mature combat capable CCA,” said Amy List, Managing Director of Boeing Defence Australia. “This latest achievement proves the advantage specialized CCA platforms bring to defense forces’ mission effectiveness.”
Boeing officials emphasized the speed and technical sophistication behind the achievement. The company leveraged open architectures and a digital development ecosystem to integrate the weapon system onto the MQ-28 and test it in an operationally relevant scenario in under eight months.
“This exercise demonstrates the maturity of Boeing’s mission autonomy solution,” said Colin Miller, Vice President of Phantom Works. “It is a true example of speed-to-capability… capable of integrating with fourth, fifth and sixth generation aircraft.”
The successful live-fire test, a collaboration between Boeing, the RAAF, the U.S. Air Force, and industry partners, validates the CCA concept. It proves the ability of autonomous systems to operate within a manned-unmanned team, delivering increased tactical mass and enhanced decision-making data while reducing risk to crewed aircraft and pilots.
