Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat Takes Farnborough by Storm

The MQ-28 Ghost Bat made its Farnborough debut on the show's opening day, static display only. This marked its European appearance, having first flown outside Australia at Point Mugu, California in May 2026.

Boeing is pitching the aircraft hard to Britain and other European customers, who are trying to decide what to buy. The Ghost Bat has already done things that few others can claim: it has flown for five years, fired a live radar-guided missile at a real target, and operated from a foreign country.

The aircraft's open architecture design allows for the integration of new weapons in just seven months - a fraction of the time typically required. This is due to how the platform was designed, not how hard anyone worked, according to Boeing's President and Chief Executive Officer, Steve Parker.