MQ-28 Ghost Bat Highlights India-Australia Air Staff Talks on Future Aerospace Collaboration

The 12th Air Staff Talks between the Indian Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force were recently held in Canberra and focused on operational synergy, interoperability, training, joint exercises and future aerospace cooperation.

"The 12th Air Staff Talks between the #IndianAirForce and #RoyalAustralianAirForce were recently conducted at Canberra. The discussions focused on enhancing operational synergy, interoperability, joint exercises, Air-to-Air Refuelling Agreement, training and future aerospace collaboration. Both Air Forces reaffirmed their commitment towards strengthening regional stability and fostering a future-ready Indo-Pacific partnership," an Indian Air Force statement said.

The Australian Defence Ministry, while sharing details of the engagement, said Australian Deputy Chief of Air Force Air Vice-Marshal Steven Pesce hosted Air Vice-Marshal Sanjeev Taliyan in Canberra and Brisbane.

"Deputy Chief of Air Force, Air Vice-Marshal Steven Pesce, AM, recently hosted Air Vice-Marshal Sanjeev Taliyan from the @IAF_MCC in Canberra and Brisbane, advancing Australia-India defence cooperation through professional air power dialogue," the Australian Defence Ministry said.

Following the IAF's reference to "future aerospace collaboration", an image released by the Australian side during the meeting showed Boeing Defence Australia's MQ-28 Ghost Bat collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) in the backdrop during the photo op.

The Boeing Australia-developed MQ-28 Ghost Bat is an uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft designed to operate alongside crewed fighter aircraft and airborne early warning systems.

Boeing describes the platform as "a force multiplier for advanced airpower systems", adding that the aircraft's open-system architecture "enables mission flexibility, third-party payloads, and speedy reconfiguration and customisation of onboard systems, allowing allied forces to exploit rapid innovation cycles and be responsive to changing threat environments."

One of the key features of the MQ-28 is its modular design, which allows quick swapping of payloads through its missionised nose section. According to Boeing, the MQ-28 has a range of more than 2,000 nautical miles, can fly at speeds of up to Mach 0.9 and operates above 40,000 feet.

Developed in Australia over the past eight years, Boeing claims the MQ-28 is "the world's most mature CCA". In December 2025, Boeing and the Royal Australian Air Force carried out what they described as the first autonomous air-to-air combat kill engagement involving the MQ-28 using an AIM-120 AMRAAM missile.

India is also working on its own loyal wingman and collaborative combat aircraft programme through Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's CATS Warrior project.

Former Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Managing Director and Chairman D K Sunil had confirmed during the ANI Security Summit last year, "We are building the U-CAV -'CATS Warrior'; It will be ready by next year, and we expect it to fly by 2027."

The CATS Warrior is designed to operate alongside crewed fighter aircraft and undertake missions including strike, surveillance, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, decoy operations and swarm attacks while reducing risk to pilots in contested combat environments.

The latest Air Staff Talks come amid wider expansion in India-Australia defence ties.

On May 9, the Australian Defence Ministry said both countries had discussed "next steps to deepen interoperability across all domains" during the 10th Australia-India Defence Policy Talks held in New Delhi.

The Australian statement noted that both sides welcomed increased complexity and frequency of military exercises, including India's participation in Exercise Talisman Sabre and Exercise Puk Puk in 2025, while also discussing defence industrial collaboration and future joint staff talks.

The two countries have also operationalised closer air force cooperation through an air-to-air refuelling arrangement signed in November 2024.

Under the arrangement, the Royal Australian Air Force's KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft can refuel Indian Armed Forces aircraft.

"The ability to conduct air-to-air refuelling with the Indian Armed Forces elevates our interoperability and enables us to cooperate more effectively in a range of different scenarios," Air Vice-Marshal Harvey Reynolds had said after the agreement was signed.

"This arrangement is a significant step forward in our relationship with India, and will provide valuable opportunities for our personnel to work closely together, share knowledge and expertise, and build trust and understanding," he added.

"The signing of this arrangement is the first step towards KC-30A refuelling the P-8I, increasing India's reach and persistence in the Indo-Pacific region," the Australian Defence Ministry statement also said.

- ANI