Autonomous Systems

Australia has moved to procure its first operational batch of MQ-28 Ghost Bat uncrewed aircraft, signing a reported contract worth approximately AU$1 billion (USD$660 million) with Boeing for an initial six air vehicles. This milestone marks a critical transition of the Ghost Bat program from extended flight testing into formal acquisition by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), making the MQ-28 the first Australian-designed military aircraft to enter service since the GAF Nomad in the 1970s.

Dassault Aviation and Thales have formalized a long-term strategic partnership to develop controlled and supervised artificial intelligence for next-generation air combat systems. The agreement, signed November 18, 2025, and announced November 25 at Paris’s International Adopt AI Summit, marks a pivotal moment in European defense technology development. The collaboration brings together Dassault Aviation, France’s prime contractor for collaborative air combat systems, with cortAIx, Thales’ dedicated AI accelerator. This partnership aims to establish sovereign AI capabilities for both manned and unmanned military aircraft, addressing mission-critical functions including observation, situation analysis, decision-making support, operational planning, and air operations control.