Boeing welcomes Saab into Australian ‘Ghost Bat’ programme
January 15, 2025
Swedish aerospace manufacturer Saab is to formally join Boeing’s Ghost Bat Australian team to provide avionics and communications equipment for the MQ-28 ‘loyal wingman’ uncrewed aircraft.
Joining more than 200 companies on the MQ-28 programme (being co-developed by Boeing Australia and the Royal Australian Air Force), Saab Australia will provide its TactiCall Communications Solution alongside avionics equipment for the primary flight control systems from its Swedish parent company.
Elaborating on the scope of the TactiCall Communications Solution – which also includes user terminals network and radio infrastructure – Saab Australia managing director Andy Keough described it as integrating “all communications technologies into one intuitive user interface to enable information to be securely monitored and shared across multiple classification levels”.
Additionally, the MQ-28 programme will also benefit from the provision of avionics equipment such as electro-mechanical actual and controllers for the primary flight control system from Saab in Sweden. “As we evolve a truly global capability, we are also incorporating Saab’s flight-proven electromechanical actuation equipment to enable us to work at speed to accelerate our ability to meet operational requirements,” said Glen Ferguson, Boeing MQ-28 programme director.
As the programme picks up pace, the number of Australian companies specifically engaged on the MQ-28 platform have risen from 55 to 74 over the past 12 months. The first military aircraft designed and built in Australia in over five decades, the multirole combat drone achieved its first flight in 2021 and has already garnered two tranches of orders from the RAAF. In 2022, the US Air Force also noted interest in a potential purchase.
“The Ghost Bat is an exciting programme for the Australian defence sector and demonstrates what can be achieved through collaboration between global defence organisations, local businesses, and the Defence Force,” concluded Keough. Ferguson added: “The maturity of our supply chain demonstrates our progress and commitment to providing opportunities for Australian companies to grow with us as we continue to advance towards delivering an operationally capable platform and explore markets outside of Australia”.