Overview
- Boeing’s MQ‑28 Ghost Bat flew with U.S. and allied aircraft in June during Exercise Valiant Shield, operating near the Marianas Island Range Complex to test integration with F‑35s, F‑15EX and other crewed platforms.
- Pacific Air Forces said the flights gave crews a chance to refine tactics, techniques and procedures for human‑machine teaming in missions such as defensive and offensive counter‑air.
- Boeing reports the production‑representative MQ‑28 has validated a low radar cross section, previously fired an AIM‑120 AMRAAM at a target drone, and shown multi‑platform teaming in earlier tests.
- The Ghost Bat’s deployment is an operational evaluation rather than a U.S. purchase decision, and data from Valiant Shield will inform sustainment plans and the Air Force’s CCA requirement set.
- Separately, the U.S. Air Force has picked General Atomics and Anduril for CCA engineering and manufacturing development and requested FY2027 production funds, a parallel track that will influence which CCAs are fielded by 2029.