MQ-28A Ghost Bat debuts at Valiant Shield with F-15EX flight and FARP refueling

Australia’s MQ-28A Ghost Bat has made its debut in a major international exercise during Valiant Shield 2026, demonstrating for the first time how collaborative combat aircraft can integrate with crewed platforms in a multinational setting.

The 10-day exercise, which concluded ahead of the Australian Department of Defence’s announcement on July 10, 2026, was led by the United States with participants from Australia, Canada, Japan and New Zealand. Allied forces were tested across the maritime, air, land, space and cyber domains in the Western Pacific.

Ghost Bat takes the stage

The Boeing Defence Australia-built Ghost Bat flew alongside a United States Air Force F-15EX Eagle II, taking part in agile combat employment operations at Rota International Airport in the Northern Mariana Islands. Its participation was conducted through a US-led program with observers and support from the Royal Australian Air Force.

A highlight of the uncrewed aircraft’s involvement was a forward arming and refueling point exercise, in which a USAF HC-130J Combat King landed and transferred fuel directly into the Ghost Bat. The drills were designed to show how the aircraft could operate from airfields closer to the battlespace, away from main operating bases.

Australian contribution

About 80 Australian Defence Force personnel were embedded across locations including Guam, Japan, Hawaii, and at sea with a US Navy Carrier Strike Group. A RAAF P-8A Poseidon also deployed to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.

Air Commodore and Director General, Air Command Operations, Peter Robinson, said the exercise provided valuable exposure to emerging capabilities.

“ADF personnel brought proven skill sets and capabilities to Exercise Valiant Shield 26, especially in anti-submarine warfare and air battle management,” Robinson said. “The value of Exercise Valiant Shield 26 is not only the cooperation it demands, but also the exposure to new and emerging capabilities that each nation brings.”

Sinking exercise caps the event

The exercise culminated in the sinking of the decommissioned USS Juneau in the Philippine Sea. 

RAAF armament technicians loaded a pair of Australian-supplied AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles onto a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A Poseidon, marking the first time RNZAF P-8As had launched Harpoons in a sinking exercise.

A Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine launched torpedoes at the target, while a USAF B-2A Spirit stealth bomber fired an AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile.

Admiral Jay Clark, the US Navy’s officer in charge of conducting the exercise, suggested that the event proved the strength of the alliance.

“Over 10 days of intensive, high-end operations, Valiant Shield demonstrated that our alliance is not just a partnership on paper, but a formidable, unified force,” Clark said.

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