Boeing’s Block 3 MQ-28 Ghost Bat to gain weapons bays, longer wings
The aircraft's wingspan will expand from 6 meters to 7.3 meters, or 20 to 24 feet.
The aircraft's wingspan will expand from 6 meters to 7.3 meters, or 20 to 24 feet.
"It's all the communications that army needs, from the forward rifleman, who's walking around carrying his pack, who's really just talking on a radio right the way through to a big Joint Task Force headquarters with heaps of people in it, a field hospital with big logistics sort of node -- everything that's deployed," Darcy Rawlinson of Boeing Australia said.
Boeing will also soon begin flight testing a multimission pod developed with internal funds, according to company official Jon Spore.
"When the tough but necessary decision was made last year to expedite the withdrawal of the MRH-90s [Taipans] from service, it meant that we needed to look at all options when it came to filling the capability gap and the training which our servicemen and women need,” Defense Minister Richard Marles said in a statement.
The Defense Department here, in an unusual move, announced that Lockheed had been directly awarded the contract for what is expected to be a $4 billion AUD ($2.86 billon) commitment to Australia’s first sovereign military satellite program.
“Selecting the Ghost Bat, an Australian native mammal known for teaming together in a pack to detect and hunt, reflects the unique characteristics of the aircraft’s sensors and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance abilities, and is a fitting name for this pioneering capability,” Glen Ferguson of Boeing said.
Industry sources say the tender will lead to at least two, and as many as four, military communication satellites being built for the Australian military, as well as ground stations. A decision on the winner is expected this year.