Boeing has put the MQ-28 Ghost Bat inside an anechoic chamber and measured its radar cross section — the first time anyone has published quantitative stealth performance data on the Australian-built combat drone. The results, announced on 1 June from Brisbane, confirm what Boeing has long claimed: the Ghost Bat is survivable in contested airspace. The RCS testing suspends the aircraft on overhead cables inside a radar-absorbing chamber and measures its detectability from every angle — elevation, azimuth, and roll. Boeing did not disclose specific values, but described the results as validating “the effectiveness of the MQ-28’s design, production and material choices in minimising radar detection.”

Why RCS Matters

A drone’s radar cross section determines how far away an enemy radar can detect it. Lower RCS means the drone can fly closer to defended airspace before being seen — which is the entire point of a Collaborative Combat Aircraft. The MQ-28 is designed to fly alongside crewed fighters like the F/A-18F Super Hornet or the F-35, absorbing the dangerous tasks (jamming, sensing, acting as a decoy) so the piloted jet stays alive. Until now, Boeing’s stealth claims for the Ghost Bat were based on design intent rather than measured data. The RCS testing changes that. It gives potential export customers — Japan, South Korea, and Singapore have all expressed interest — objective, repeatable numbers they can plug into their own threat models.

From Chamber to Combat

The Ghost Bat has been busy. It completed its 150th flight in early 2026, fired an AIM-120 AMRAAM autonomously for the first time in December 2025, and made its first three flights on US soil at Point Mugu, California in May 2026 — a critical demonstration that the Australian-built drone can be deployed, flown, and re-tasked from an allied base anywhere in the world. The stealth validation is the latest piece of a methodical campaign by Boeing to make the MQ-28 the CCA that everyone wants. With the USAF’s own Increment 1 CCAs (the Anduril Fury and General Atomics YFQ-42 Dark Merlin) still in early testing, the Ghost Bat — with 150+ flights, a proven stealth signature, and a working weapons integration — is arguably the most mature combat drone in the Western world. Sources: Boeing, The Aviationist, Janes, Air & Space Forces Magazine