U.S. Air Force General Kevin Schneider, commander of Pacific Air Forces, said the United States is working closely with the Royal Australian Air Force on the MQ-28 Ghost Bat unmanned aircraft, a collaboration that may allow American personnel to issue commands to Australian drones in future operations.

The MQ-28, developed by Boeing for the RAAF since the 2010s, has been included in Exercise Valiant Shield 2026, a major Pacific air exercise. The service’s Experimental Operations Unit at Nellis Air Force Base supports the development of collaborative combat aircraft concepts and associated tactics.

Schneider noted that the EOU, established in 2023 and expanded to squadron size in 2024, is tasked with creating concepts of operations for CCA deployment, as well as tactics, techniques, and procedures. The U.S. CCA program currently plans to field the General Atomics FQ-42 Dark Merlin and the Anduril FQ-44 Fury, while the MQ-28 remains outside the formal CCA structure but has been used to support autonomous capability testing.

During Valiant Shield, the MQ-28 flew alongside an F-15EX Eagle II and other U.S. and allied aircraft; the extent of direct command of the drone by U.S. platforms was not specified. Boeing has demonstrated control of the MQ-28 through an E-7A Wedgetail airborne warning and control aircraft, and future integration may involve operator‑to‑operator command and control architectures between the RAAF and U.S. forces.

Schneider said the Air Force is evaluating the mix of high‑cost, high‑capability assets and lower‑cost, mass‑production drones for future operations, emphasizing the need for flexible concepts of operations such as Agile Combat Employment, which allows rapid deployment with limited logistics. Lessons from recent conflicts in Ukraine and Israel have informed approaches to indications and warnings, dispersal, camouflage, and active defense.

Further details on how U.S. and Australian command structures will be integrated remain pending as the CCA program moves toward its second‑generation requirements.