Boeing's Ghost Bat combat drone is at the forefront of a new era in aerial warfare, where autonomous uncrewed aircraft, dubbed "loyal wingmen" or Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), will fly alongside manned fighter jets. Boeing showcased a working Ghost Bat at the Farnborough Airshow, highlighting its maturity compared to rivals General Atomics and Anduril Industries, which displayed full-scale models of their designs. Boeing has been developing the Ghost Bat since 2017 and asserts it is the most advanced in this new generation of autonomous combat drones, with over 100 test flights completed and recent participation in a multinational military exercise and a live-fire test.
The U.S. Air Force is driving this competition, aiming to select a lead contractor for the first phase of its CCA program by summer 2027 and plans to acquire more than 150 combat-ready drones by the end of the decade. These CCAs are expected to cost significantly less than an F-35 fighter jet, which costs over $80 million, with projections suggesting they will be a third or less of that price. Analysts like Richard Aboulafia anticipate the market could eventually produce hundreds of these aircraft annually, though widespread deployment may not occur until the mid-2030s.
Boeing is already under contract to produce seven Ghost Bat aircraft for the Australian Defence Force in a three-year deal worth A$754 million (approximately $528 million). While Boeing emphasizes its head start and mature technology, the U.S. Air Force has also awarded production contracts to General Atomics and Anduril for their designs to build the initial fleet of semi-autonomous wingmen. The program also involves a separate competition among six vendors, including Lockheed Martin, for the mission autonomy software that will control these aircraft. The financial backing for some competitors is substantial, with Anduril closing a $5 billion funding round in May 2026, valuing the company at $61 billion.
The broader race for autonomous uncrewed combat aircraft has attracted a range of U.S. and European companies, including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Airbus. The Ghost Bat has a combat radius requirement of over 700 nautical miles and can carry up to 500 kilograms of payload over a range of roughly 3,700 kilometers. The U.S. Air Force has indicated a total requirement for a thousand or more CCAs, signaling a substantial and growing market for these advanced drones, which are seen as crucial for the future of air combat, emphasizing affordability and autonomy alongside traditional stealth and speed.
