A total of 43 pilots from Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the United States, plus new teams from Belgium, Germany and the Philippines competed in the three-day competition from 16 to 18 September.
Boeing hinted at both capabilities with a “Take a peek into the future” video circulating online and explained how the uncrewed aircraft could be controlled by a two-seater US F-15EX fighter aircraft with battle management controls.
Charles Darwin University’s North Australia Centre for Autonomous Systems (NACAS) has opened the Airspace Integration Research Facility (AIR-F) at its Katherine Rural Campus, the only purpose-built unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) test site in northern Au…
The RAAF-defined demonstrations required the MQ-28 to execute a series of operationally relevant missions designed to supplement and enhance capabilities of existing crewed platforms.
The drones were developed under Defence’s Sovereign Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) Challenge, which tasked local companies with designing and producing cost-effective, general-purpose platforms to support frontline operations.
The aircraft have previously completed testing earlier this year, in which a single human operator onboard a RAAF E-7A Wedgetail was able to successfully control two Ghost Bats in a mission against airborne targets.
In recent years, remote pilots have overtaken CASA-licensed fixed-wing aircraft, helicopter and other pilots to become Australia’s biggest pilot group, according to CASA.
The American defence company produces the V-BAT vertical-takeoff and landing, AI-based uncrewed aerial system for military, border protection, law enforcement, search and rescue, climate surveillance and disaster management operations.