Boeing Australia’s MQ-28A Ghost Bat loyal wingman to support manned fighters, will perform test firings of AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles in December 2025.
The War Zone reported that MQ-28A, first shown with sensor/electronic warfare payloads to support manned fighters, is planned to test-fire the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile in December 2025.
Boeing officials made the statement regarding the weapons testing during the Dubai Airshow 2025.
According to the statement, MQ-28A will take a shot at an aerial target with the widely used air-to-air missile at the Woomera Range Complex.
A similar platform to perform a similar test soon is Baykar’s KIZILELMA unmanned fighter, which recently completed a linked test with the GÖKDOĞAN BVRAAM, the Turkish counterpart of AIM-120 AMRAAM. The test is expected to be performed using the already tested MURAD 100-A AESA radar.
Additionally, CCA Increment 1 UAVs of the USAF (YFQ-42 and YFQ-44A), which are significantly smaller than MQ-28, are also being developed to be capable of firing AIM-120 AMRAAM and possibly AIM-260 JATM missiles from two external hardpoints. However, the two prototypes are still a distance away from MQ-28A (Which performed its maiden flight in late 2021) when it comes to weapons testing.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor:Özgür Ekşi
