Boeing’s F-15EX Multirole Fighter Jet To Lead MQ-28 Ghost Bat Drones In Future Air Combat
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Boeing used the Dubai Airshow 2025 to detail how the F-15EX could serve as the command hub for a network of MQ-28 Ghost Bat drones, sharing targeting and sensor data in real time. The approach signals a shift toward scalable mass and lower operating costs as the U.S. and partner air forces prepare for high-end air combat.
On 17 November 2025, at Dubai Airshow 2025, Boeing used a dedicated briefing on the F-15EX and MQ-28 Ghost Bat to present a concrete vision of manned–unmanned teaming, with the twin-seat Eagle II described as the command hub of a networked “family of systems”. Briefing slides, later shared on social media, showed an F-15-type fighter at the centre of a triangular data-link geometry tying together multiple unmanned aircraft, illustrating how the crewed jet would coordinate loyal wingmen in real time. This concept directly addresses air forces’ need to generate mass, resilience and reach without proportionally increasing pilot numbers or support costs.
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Boeing’s Dubai briefing on the F-15EX and MQ-28 Ghost Bat signals that manned–unmanned teaming is moving from abstract slides to specific platform pairings, budget lines and export pitches (Picture Source: Boeing)
In Boeing’s slide, the F-15EX sits at the centre of “Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T)” under the banner of “A Family of Systems”, supported by four pillars: Collaborative, Connected, Capable and Provisioned. “Collaborative” points to the crew’s ability to task, retask and supervise unmanned aircraft, “Connected” to a scalable network linking several classes of drones, “Capable” to their combined functions in sensing, assessing and striking, and “Provisioned” to command arrangements that preserve safety and rules of engagement. The two-seat configuration of the F-15EX is central to this approach: while the front-seat pilot focuses on flying and survivability, the weapon system officer can act as a mission manager for Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) and loyal wingmen. In this model, the F-15EX becomes a forward battle-management node, using its large payload, power and open-architecture avionics to host advanced data links and AI-aided decision tools, effectively serving as a “quarterback” for air combat packages.
On the unmanned side of this partnership, the MQ-28 Ghost Bat has been developed in Australia as a modular collaborative combat aircraft designed to fly in concert with crewed fighters such as the F-35, F/A-18F and, increasingly, export-oriented platforms like the F-15EX. The aircraft, which first flew in 2021, has completed over 100 test flights and a series of demonstrations with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during Capability Demonstration 2025, proving its ability to support air combat operations ahead of schedule. Boeing now indicates that Ghost Bat is “hitting its stride” and is on track for its first live-fire weapons test with an AIM-120 AMRAAM in the coming weeks, a step that would move the system from a technology demonstrator towards an operationally credible CCA. The MQ-28’s modular nose bay, long range and relatively low cost compared with manned fighters make it particularly suited to acting as an attritable sensor–shooter extension of a crewed platform such as the F-15EX, either as a forward sensor picket, stand-in jammer, or additional missile magazine.
The Boeing briefing in Dubai comes only a day after confirmation that a U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor pilot directly controlled an MQ-20 Avenger combat drone from the cockpit during a mission over the Nevada Test and Training Range, a landmark demonstration of crewed–uncrewed teaming in real flight. That event showed a stealth fighter acting as the first airborne controller for U.S. Collaborative Combat Aircraft, with the MQ-20 executing tasks under direct pilot command. By contrast, Boeing’s F-15EX/MQ-28 construct emphasises a high-capacity, non-stealth “quarterback” that can sit slightly further from the most contested airspace while directing several Ghost Bats forward. Where the F-22/MQ-20 pairing illustrates that fifth-generation fighters can themselves become CCA controllers, the F-15EX concept points to a complementary model: using a twin-seat, non-stealth but heavily upgraded platform with high payload, range and power as a dedicated C2 and weapons node for a larger swarm of unmanned assets. Together, these developments suggest that future air campaigns will rely less on individual “silver bullet” aircraft and more on heterogeneous formations where stealth, non-stealth and autonomous systems are dynamically orchestrated in real time.
Strategically, positioning the F-15EX and MQ-28 as a combined MUM-T solution has several implications. For the United States and close allies, it links an established, exportable fighter design to a collaborative combat aircraft that is already being matured within an allied air force, potentially accelerating coalition interoperability and lowering entry costs for partners that cannot afford large fleets of fifth-generation fighters. For regions such as the Middle East, where interest in both high-end combat aircraft and uncrewed systems is rising, the concept offers a pathway to field networked airpower without waiting for domestic CCA programs to reach maturity: a customer could procure F-15EX as a proven airframe, then progressively integrate Ghost Bat or similar CCAs as they become available. At the operational level, using MQ-28s as forward sensors and weapons carriers under F-15EX control would allow air forces to probe integrated air defence systems, distribute risk across attritable platforms, and sustain persistent air presence while preserving their most valuable crewed aircraft. For adversaries, this raises the complexity of air defence planning: shooting down an incoming fighter may no longer be sufficient if the real “eyes and fists” of the formation are several autonomous systems operating ahead or off-axis.
Financially, the F-15EX is already anchored as a major funded program, with the U.S. Air Force’s initial lot of eight aircraft contracted in 2020 for nearly $1.2 billion including jets, support and engineering, and a program of record expanded to 104 aircraft with unit costs in the roughly $90–97 million range depending on configuration; General Electric has been awarded a $1.58 billion contract for engines, while the FY2026 budget earmarks a further $3.1 billion for continued procurement, confirming the aircraft’s place as a core element of the future force structure. By contrast, MQ-28 financing is still centred on Australia, where Canberra has committed more than A$600 million for an initial 10 Block 1 airframes and added around A$400 million in 2024 for three Block 2 aircraft, bringing public estimates of total government backing close to A$1 billion; Boeing presents the Ghost Bat as significantly cheaper than a crewed fighter, with indicative figures suggesting a unit cost around one-tenth that of a high-end manned platform, and at this stage Australia remains the only confirmed customer while other potential buyers, including the United States and Poland, are still evaluating the system.
Boeing’s Dubai briefing on the F-15EX and MQ-28 Ghost Bat signals that manned–unmanned teaming is moving from abstract slides to specific platform pairings, budget lines and export pitches. By framing the twin-seat Eagle II as a command aircraft for a family of CCAs, and aligning that concept with a rapidly maturing Ghost Bat program that is about to enter live weapons testing, the company is offering air forces a concrete template for how to structure their future air combat ecosystems. In parallel with the U.S. Air Force’s own F-22/MQ-20 experiments, this approach underlines that the decisive advantage in the next generation of air warfare will lie not only in stealth or speed, but in the ability of crewed and uncrewed systems to collaborate, adapt and survive as a coherent, networked force.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
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Boeing used the Dubai Airshow 2025 to detail how the F-15EX could serve as the command hub for a network of MQ-28 Ghost Bat drones, sharing targeting and sensor data in real time. The approach signals a shift toward scalable mass and lower operating costs as the U.S. and partner air forces prepare for high-end air combat.
On 17 November 2025, at Dubai Airshow 2025, Boeing used a dedicated briefing on the F-15EX and MQ-28 Ghost Bat to present a concrete vision of manned–unmanned teaming, with the twin-seat Eagle II described as the command hub of a networked “family of systems”. Briefing slides, later shared on social media, showed an F-15-type fighter at the centre of a triangular data-link geometry tying together multiple unmanned aircraft, illustrating how the crewed jet would coordinate loyal wingmen in real time. This concept directly addresses air forces’ need to generate mass, resilience and reach without proportionally increasing pilot numbers or support costs.
Boeing’s Dubai briefing on the F-15EX and MQ-28 Ghost Bat signals that manned–unmanned teaming is moving from abstract slides to specific platform pairings, budget lines and export pitches (Picture Source: Boeing)
In Boeing’s slide, the F-15EX sits at the centre of “Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T)” under the banner of “A Family of Systems”, supported by four pillars: Collaborative, Connected, Capable and Provisioned. “Collaborative” points to the crew’s ability to task, retask and supervise unmanned aircraft, “Connected” to a scalable network linking several classes of drones, “Capable” to their combined functions in sensing, assessing and striking, and “Provisioned” to command arrangements that preserve safety and rules of engagement. The two-seat configuration of the F-15EX is central to this approach: while the front-seat pilot focuses on flying and survivability, the weapon system officer can act as a mission manager for Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) and loyal wingmen. In this model, the F-15EX becomes a forward battle-management node, using its large payload, power and open-architecture avionics to host advanced data links and AI-aided decision tools, effectively serving as a “quarterback” for air combat packages.
On the unmanned side of this partnership, the MQ-28 Ghost Bat has been developed in Australia as a modular collaborative combat aircraft designed to fly in concert with crewed fighters such as the F-35, F/A-18F and, increasingly, export-oriented platforms like the F-15EX. The aircraft, which first flew in 2021, has completed over 100 test flights and a series of demonstrations with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during Capability Demonstration 2025, proving its ability to support air combat operations ahead of schedule. Boeing now indicates that Ghost Bat is “hitting its stride” and is on track for its first live-fire weapons test with an AIM-120 AMRAAM in the coming weeks, a step that would move the system from a technology demonstrator towards an operationally credible CCA. The MQ-28’s modular nose bay, long range and relatively low cost compared with manned fighters make it particularly suited to acting as an attritable sensor–shooter extension of a crewed platform such as the F-15EX, either as a forward sensor picket, stand-in jammer, or additional missile magazine.
The Boeing briefing in Dubai comes only a day after confirmation that a U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor pilot directly controlled an MQ-20 Avenger combat drone from the cockpit during a mission over the Nevada Test and Training Range, a landmark demonstration of crewed–uncrewed teaming in real flight. That event showed a stealth fighter acting as the first airborne controller for U.S. Collaborative Combat Aircraft, with the MQ-20 executing tasks under direct pilot command. By contrast, Boeing’s F-15EX/MQ-28 construct emphasises a high-capacity, non-stealth “quarterback” that can sit slightly further from the most contested airspace while directing several Ghost Bats forward. Where the F-22/MQ-20 pairing illustrates that fifth-generation fighters can themselves become CCA controllers, the F-15EX concept points to a complementary model: using a twin-seat, non-stealth but heavily upgraded platform with high payload, range and power as a dedicated C2 and weapons node for a larger swarm of unmanned assets. Together, these developments suggest that future air campaigns will rely less on individual “silver bullet” aircraft and more on heterogeneous formations where stealth, non-stealth and autonomous systems are dynamically orchestrated in real time.
Strategically, positioning the F-15EX and MQ-28 as a combined MUM-T solution has several implications. For the United States and close allies, it links an established, exportable fighter design to a collaborative combat aircraft that is already being matured within an allied air force, potentially accelerating coalition interoperability and lowering entry costs for partners that cannot afford large fleets of fifth-generation fighters. For regions such as the Middle East, where interest in both high-end combat aircraft and uncrewed systems is rising, the concept offers a pathway to field networked airpower without waiting for domestic CCA programs to reach maturity: a customer could procure F-15EX as a proven airframe, then progressively integrate Ghost Bat or similar CCAs as they become available. At the operational level, using MQ-28s as forward sensors and weapons carriers under F-15EX control would allow air forces to probe integrated air defence systems, distribute risk across attritable platforms, and sustain persistent air presence while preserving their most valuable crewed aircraft. For adversaries, this raises the complexity of air defence planning: shooting down an incoming fighter may no longer be sufficient if the real “eyes and fists” of the formation are several autonomous systems operating ahead or off-axis.
Financially, the F-15EX is already anchored as a major funded program, with the U.S. Air Force’s initial lot of eight aircraft contracted in 2020 for nearly $1.2 billion including jets, support and engineering, and a program of record expanded to 104 aircraft with unit costs in the roughly $90–97 million range depending on configuration; General Electric has been awarded a $1.58 billion contract for engines, while the FY2026 budget earmarks a further $3.1 billion for continued procurement, confirming the aircraft’s place as a core element of the future force structure. By contrast, MQ-28 financing is still centred on Australia, where Canberra has committed more than A$600 million for an initial 10 Block 1 airframes and added around A$400 million in 2024 for three Block 2 aircraft, bringing public estimates of total government backing close to A$1 billion; Boeing presents the Ghost Bat as significantly cheaper than a crewed fighter, with indicative figures suggesting a unit cost around one-tenth that of a high-end manned platform, and at this stage Australia remains the only confirmed customer while other potential buyers, including the United States and Poland, are still evaluating the system.
Boeing’s Dubai briefing on the F-15EX and MQ-28 Ghost Bat signals that manned–unmanned teaming is moving from abstract slides to specific platform pairings, budget lines and export pitches. By framing the twin-seat Eagle II as a command aircraft for a family of CCAs, and aligning that concept with a rapidly maturing Ghost Bat program that is about to enter live weapons testing, the company is offering air forces a concrete template for how to structure their future air combat ecosystems. In parallel with the U.S. Air Force’s own F-22/MQ-20 experiments, this approach underlines that the decisive advantage in the next generation of air warfare will lie not only in stealth or speed, but in the ability of crewed and uncrewed systems to collaborate, adapt and survive as a coherent, networked force.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
