“This testing shows the MQ-28’s ability to operate seamlessly from allied facilities, which helps Boeing demonstrate the aircraft’s maturity and potential export opportunities to international customers outside Australia,” Boeing said in a company press release.
Point Mugu Sea Range tests and why the location matters
Boeing has conducted at least three MQ-28 Ghost Bat flights within the Point Mugu Sea Range off the coast of southern California, the company said. Naval Air Station Point Mugu, part of Naval Base Ventura County, sits on the coast with direct access to the expansive Sea Range and is routinely used for research, test and evaluation, and training. Boeing described the site as having minimal risk to bystanders and well suited for uncrewed aircraft operations, noting Point Mugu’s existing role supporting the MQ-4C Triton and target drone management.
New airframe details seen in the Point Mugu sorties
Boeing released imagery of a Ghost Bat in a two-tone gray livery that also shows an infrared search and track (IRST) sensor in the nose. That configuration differs from footage released by the Pentagon in December, which showed a Ghost Bat with an early-style paint scheme and high-visibility orange trim and without an IRST. Boeing has highlighted the MQ-28’s modular design, including a nose section intended to be readily swappable, and said the Point Mugu tests validate autonomous systems while following required airspace, range safety and regulatory approvals.
Where the MQ-28 program stands: Block 1, Block 2 and a planned Block 3
The MQ-28 has been flying in Australia since 2021, two years after the design was first shown publicly. The Royal Australian Air Force has received eight Ghost Bats in a pre-production Block 1 configuration. Boeing is working to build the first of a batch of nine Block 2 drones, described as an intermediate step toward an operational Block 3.
Boeing says the planned Block 3 will be substantially larger, have greater range, and include an internal weapons bay able to accommodate either a single AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile, two GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs, or equivalently sized stores. Boeing and the RAAF have already conducted at least one live-fire AIM-120 launch from a Block 1 Ghost Bat, though that missile was carried on an external pylon. Block 1 aircraft have also taken part in crewed-uncrewed teaming demonstrations with RAAF E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft and F/A-18F Super Hornet fighters.
Prior U.S. sightings, partnerships and the program’s footprint in America
There have been previous indications of MQ-28 activity in the United States. The U.S. Air Force said it had used at least one MQ-28 to support advanced uncrewed aircraft and autonomy development efforts. Boeing released a picture of an MQ-28 at MidAmerica Airport outside St. Louis, Missouri, in 2023, showing an early paint scheme and no IRST; that aircraft was displayed alongside a demonstrator used in MQ-25 Stingray development. In December, the Pentagon released video of Secretary Pete Hegseth visiting Naval Air Station Point Mugu with an MQ-28 visible in the background.
How many Ghost Bats are currently in the United States is unknown; TWZ reached out to Boeing for more information, the company said.
What this means for Boeing, the Royal Australian Air Force, and the U.S. Navy
- Boeing: The company is using Point Mugu flights to demonstrate design maturity and to promote export sales, publicly naming Japan as a potential customer and announcing a partnership with Rheinmetall to pitch the Ghost Bat to Germany. Boeing has also previously proposed a carrier-capable variant with a tail hook to the United Kingdom.
- Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF): The RAAF already operates Block 1 Ghost Bats and has used them for live-fire and crewed-uncrewed teaming tests; Boeing argues allied basing access demonstrated at Point Mugu could be valuable for future coalition operations.
- U.S. Navy: The service awarded contracts in September 2025 for conceptual carrier-based Collaborative Combat Aircraft designs to Boeing and three other companies, with Lockheed Martin under contract for a common control architecture. Navy Capt. Ron Flanders told TWZ in April 2025 that “the U.S. has expressed strong interest in leveraging the MQ-28’s AI-driven autonomy and modular design for future air combat operations.” Whether Point Mugu testing will lead to deeper Navy involvement remains unresolved.
Flight testing from Point Mugu cements a visible U.S. presence in MQ-28 development and expands the program’s operating footprint beyond Australia. Boeing presents the sorties as a demonstration of international operability and a selling point for export customers; the central, open question the company and potential partners still face is whether that demonstrable operability will translate into formal, deeper programs with the U.S. Navy or other national services.
Source: The War Zone — MQ-28 Ghost Bat Now Flying Over The Pacific From U.S. Navy Base
