For the first time in decades, the Pentagon is seriously looking at a combat aircraft that was not built in the United States. And there is no human in its cockpit. Australia’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat is not just another heavy drone. It is seen as a way to rewrite the arithmetic of air warfare: the aircraft commanders can afford to risk goes forward, while the fighter with a human inside strikes without revealing its position. Why is demand for aircraft like this being driven specifically by the Pacific, and what role is being prepared for the Ghost Bat within the allied air network? Let us begin with the challenge Australia originally set out to solve.

Source: MQ – 28 Ghost Bat: Pentagon Wants Drone It Didn’t Build!