Boeing's Collaborative Combat Aircraft Demonstrates Capabilities in Live-Fire Test

Boeing and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) conducted the first live air-to-air missile firing by the MQ-28 Ghost Bat collaborative combat aircraft. The test, announced on December 9, 2025, saw the MQ-28 destroy a fighter-sized aerial target using a Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAM missile during an operationally representative mission. The aircraft operated as part of a networked force with an RAAF E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft and an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter. The successful integration of the missile system was completed in under eight months, enabled by the aircraft’s open-architecture design and modular mission systems. AeroTime reported on the acquisition plans and the live-fire test, which may signal a shift towards more collaborative and networked air combat capabilities.