By: |Boeing’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat has flown alongside U.S. and allied military aircraft during Exercise Valiant Shield 2026, becoming the first collaborative combat aircraft to take part in a multinational joint operational exercise. The Ghost Bat supported the U.S. Air Force Experimental Operations Unit’s work on collaborative combat aircraft integration. Collaborative combat aircraft are designed to fly alongside conventional fighters, extending their reach, sensor coverage, and mission options without adding another pilot to the formation. This allows individual air forces to fit their own sensors, communications equipment, and other mission payloads rather than relying on a single fixed configuration. Boeing describes the MQ-28 as the most mature collaborative combat aircraft developed by an allied nation.