The Drone the U.S. Air Force Just Flew With Its F-15EX Over the Pacific Isn’t American — Australia Built It, and It’s the Most Combat-Ready Loyal Wingman in the Allied World

The Drone the U.S. Air Force Just Flew With Its F-15EX Over the Pacific Isn’t American — Australia Built It, and It’s the Most Combat-Ready Loyal Wingman in the Allied World

On July 1, U.S. Pacific Air Forces released its first-ever image of a combat drone flying beside a crewed fighter, an F-15EX over the Philippine Sea. The drone wasn't American. It's the MQ-28 Ghost Bat, the first military aircraft designed and built in Australia in more than 50 years, and while the U.S. Air Force is still flying prototypes for its own drone-wingman program, the Australian aircraft has already shot down a target, flown from a U.S…