MQ-28 Ghost Bat Makes Pacific Debut at Large-Scale Multinational Exercise Valiant Shield 26

MQ-28 Ghost Bat Makes Pacific Debut at Large-Scale Multinational Exercise Valiant Shield 26

Boeing Australia's MQ-28 Ghost Bat has officially joined Valiant Shield 26, a large-scale U.S.-led multinational military exercise spanning Japan, Guam, Hawaii, and Australia that kicked off this week. The exercise marks the first time the Ghost Bat has participated in any large-scale multinational drill, giving the aircraft a high-stakes opportunity to demonstrate its operational value in a high-intensity joint warfighting environment.

The MQ-28 is participating in the capacity of a Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), arriving shortly after Boeing confirmed a series of independent test flights conducted off the Southern California coast. Those flights were designed to verify autonomous operating capabilities and demonstrate the feasibility of rapid forward deployment from allied bases.

Australian Defence Force Personnel Embedded with U.S.-Led MQ-28 Team

Australia's contribution to Valiant Shield 26 includes one P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and approximately 80 personnel. Notably, Australian Defence Force (ADF) flight observers will work alongside the U.S.-led MQ-28 team — the first time Australian personnel have operated the aircraft alongside operators and planners in a complex multi-domain environment.

MQ-28 conducting taxi tests on Rota Island, Northern Mariana Islands, on June 21, 2026

Valiant Shield 26, commanded by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), formally commenced on Monday, June 23, and is scheduled to run through July 1.

Adm. Steve Koehler, Commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, stated in a press release: "Valiant Shield demonstrates our enduring commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. Exercising advanced multi-domain capabilities with our allies ensures we can seamlessly innovate, fight together, project combat power together, and overcome any challenge together."

Manned-Unmanned Teaming and Multi-Domain Operations Validated

The U.S. Air Force released a series of photographs today showing the MQ-28 participating in the exercise on Rota Island, Northern Mariana Islands, on June 21. Photo captions indicate the Ghost Bat will be used to advance manned-unmanned teaming, including formation flying with crewed fighter aircraft.

The U.S. Air Force added: "The Department of the Air Force and its partners will analyze the aircraft's contribution as a force multiplier — extending the strike range, situational awareness, and survivability of crewed platforms in contested environments."

The MQ-28 participating in the exercise features an Infrared Search and Track (IRST) sensor system in its nose section. The Ghost Bat employs a highly modular design that allows its nose section to be rapidly swapped out to meet different mission requirements.

Laying the Groundwork for Future Indo-Pacific Operations

The Ghost Bat's participation in Valiant Shield comes as the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) continues to mature CCA concepts, having already positioned itself at the global forefront of this effort. The MQ-28 is designed to operate alongside crewed fighters and platforms such as tankers and airborne early warning and control aircraft, extending sensor coverage, serving as a weapons platform, and executing a variety of missions while reducing risk to pilots.

Valiant Shield 26 brings together forces from the United States, Australia, Japan, Canada, and New Zealand to simulate coordinated threat responses across the maritime, air, land, cyber, and space domains over a vast geographic area.

For the Ghost Bat program, exposure to this kind of joint operational environment is highly significant. Future conflicts in the Indo-Pacific will demand seamless integration between allied forces, crewed aircraft, and increasingly sophisticated autonomous systems. The MQ-28 is currently expected to enter operational service with the RAAF in 2028, which would likely make it the world's first CCA to see operational deployment.

Agile Combat Employment Concept Validated

According to defense journalist Carter Johnston, the Ghost Bat's deployment in the Indo-Pacific will include U.S. Air Force-led operations from austere forward airstrips conducted under the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept — widely regarded as essential to survivability in a future Indo-Pacific conflict. Notably, the U.S. Air Force's new CCA aircraft were designed from the outset around distributed, decentralized operations concepts.

The two U.S. Air Force Increment 1 CCAs — including the YFQ-44 Fury combat drone prototype already undergoing testing at Edwards Air Force Base, California — are also exploring how to deploy and sustain CCAs in ACE-like environments.

ATS-008: From California to the Pacific

In retrospect, the MQ-28's test flights off Point Mugu Naval Air Station in California appear to have been critical preparation for Valiant Shield 26. The aircraft that flew those missions — ATS-008 — is, in fact, the same airframe now participating in the exercise. Boeing stated at the time that the primary objectives of those flights were to validate design maturity and support export sales efforts.

Block 2 and Block 3 Upgrade Plans

Flight testing of the MQ-28 in Australia has been ongoing since 2021, and the RAAF has taken delivery of eight Block 1 pre-production Ghost Bats. Boeing is currently building the first batch of nine Block 2 aircraft, which will serve as an interim step toward the fully operational Block 3 configuration.

Block 3 aircraft are expected to be significantly larger, with longer range, and will feature an internal weapons bay capable of carrying one AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), two GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs (SDB), or equivalent-sized munitions.

The RAAF has already used Block 1 MQ-28s to demonstrate several key capabilities, including manned-unmanned teaming tests with the RAAF E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft and the F/A-18F Super Hornet.

Export Potential in Focus

On the export front, participation in Valiant Shield 26 will give Japan, Canada, and New Zealand an up-close look at the aircraft and its capabilities. Boeing has publicly named Japan as a potential customer and has indicated it is exploring opportunities with other unnamed nations in the Indo-Pacific. Indian Air Force personnel have also visited RAAF Base Amberley for a briefing on the MQ-28.

Other Participating Forces

U.S. forces participating in Valiant Shield 26 include the George Washington Carrier Strike Group, centered on USS George Washington with Carrier Air Wing 5 embarked, along with the cruiser USS Robert Smalls and destroyers USS Benfold and USS Shoup.

Additionally, Valiant Shield 26 will see the containerized Typhon missile system deployed to Japan. According to Japan's Ministry of Defense, both Typhon and High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) units will participate in joint integrated anti-ship warfare training in waters around Kanoya and Amami Oshima, though no live-fire events are planned. The Typhon system, capable of launching Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 multi-role missiles, has become an increasingly prominent component of U.S. military activities in the Indo-Pacific.

Valiant Shield 26 should provide the clearest indicators yet of how the Ghost Bat can perform in a joint operational context. As the United States and its allies increasingly embrace autonomous combat aircraft, the MQ-28's performance in one of the Indo-Pacific's largest and most complex military exercises will be closely watched as a bellwether for how future CCAs may be deployed and employed across the region.

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