Warbirds #402 | Ghost Bat makes its public debut

​While the primary Ghost Bat production facility is based at the Wellcamp precinct outside Toowoomba, Queensland, Boeing took the opportunity at Farnborough to plug the potential of additional smaller-scale production sites globally. “We’d rather have many small factories building them, localised for countries to meet their own local needs,” MQ-28 program director Glen Ferguson told Farnborough attendees, and reasserted the company’s commitment to deliver Ghost Bat blk2 and blk3 fleet capability to the RAAF by 2028.

​While this is the first public-facing showcase of the completed Ghost Bat, the aircraft has been an active participant in several military exercises in recent months. Notably, the platform was the first CCA to participate in a joint operational exercise, following its involvement in the massive 10-day, multinational military training event, Exercise Valiant Shield 2026.

During the exercise, Australia joined the US, Canada, Japan and New Zealand to test their response to security challenges in the Pacific, while the Ghost Bat tested integrations and techniques alongside allied nations and other advanced systems, including F-35A and F-35B fighter jets.

​In advance of Farnborough, Boeing revealed details about newly expanded combat features for the Ghost Bat, including an increased wingspan, which significantly increased the aircraft’s MTOW, allowing for additional range, payloads or weaponry. Ghost Bat operates as a semiautonomous system for now; however, newly revealed features also expand upon beyond line of sight (BLOS) communication links to “unlimited standoff distances”, meaning human oversight and control can be maintained from anywhere on land, at sea, or in the sky.

“Inclusion of features such as BLOS capability is a direct result of our learnings to date along with feedback from Air Forces as they understand more about the role and integration of CCAs into joint force operations,” Ferguson said.

Darwin Open Day swoons crowd

RAAF Base Darwin heralded a wildly successful Open Day on Saturday, 1 August under Exercise Pitch Black. Over 25,500 people from across Australia and around the globe attended the Open Day to get up close and personal with aircraft and operational personnel.

​Tickets were free but limited, and obviously in high demand, with a static aircraft display on show from the US, UK, France, Japan, Singapore and more. The line-up included F-35As from Australia, the US and Japan, F-16 variants from Thailand and the Philippines, Eurofighter Typhoons from Spain and Germany, a RAF Voyager, and many more. According to organisers, the Open Day is intended as a ‘thank you’ to the local Darwin community for their support during such expansive exercises as Pitch Black, and other crucial Defence activities in the Top End.

​”Exercise Pitch Black brings together personnel and aircraft from 21 nations, but it’s made possible by the strong support we receive from the Darwin community and people right across the Territory,” said Head of Air Shows, Air Commodore Michael Gray.

“Public events such as today’s open day allow the community to get up close to the aircraft and people participating in the exercise, ask questions and learn more about why this training is so important.”

You can read more about Pitch Black in the front end of this issue.

Aircraft Hall reopens in Canberra

​After a period of extensive renovations, the Australian War Memorial’s Aircraft Hall, located inside ANZAC Hall, has now reopened to the public. It marks the end of a $500 million expansion and upgrade project within the War Memorial, which also saw the installation of an iconic new angular copper roof in the image of Army’s Rising Sun badge. Led by Cox Architecture, the upgrade has added 6,500m2 of gallery space across two levels, dedicated to the curated collection of artefacts, information, and history of the Anzacs.

​The new Aircraft Hall’s opening exhibition ‘War in the Air’ showcases Australian military air power from World War I through to the Korean War, with new and rare WWI-era aircraft joining the display. One such display includes two Deperdussin Type “A” training aircraft and a German Albatros D.Va fighter biplane.

​The returning centrepiece of the new hall is, of course, the iconic WWII Avro Lancaster Mk I bomber AR-G, “G for George”. The aircraft, which is known to have completed more than 90 operational missions over Germany and occupied Europe during World War II, has been carefully dismantled and reconstructed within the walls of the new Hall, under the supervision of the War Memorial’s restoration and preservation team at Treloar Technology Centre.

​G for George, operated between 1942 and 1944 by RAAF No. 460 Squadron, under the command of the RAF in Britain, and is considered one of the most utilised aircraft under RAF Bomber Command.

To honour its contribution, shortly after the war ended, G for George was designated for preservation in Australia. G for George arrived in Brisbane on 8 November, 1944 and was flown routinely to drive up engagement during the Third Victory Loan campaign in 1945. Following this, the plane was moved to Canberra’s War Memorial, where it has remained.