Boeing introduced the identify of its latest fight drone on Monday, the MQ-28A Ghost Bat. The drone, which is being produced in Australia, makes use of synthetic intelligence and is a part of what was beforehand often called the Loyal Wingman undertaking—an initiative to offer fighter pilots an uncrewed companion within the sky.

“The introduction of the new popular name is a rare and special moment in aviation history for our RAAF partners and industry team of over 35 Australian suppliers,” Glen Ferguson, director at Australia’s Boeing Airpower Teaming System, mentioned in a statement on Boeing’s web site.

“Selecting the Ghost Bat, an Australian native mammal known for teaming together in a pack to detect and hunt, reflects the unique characteristics of the aircraft’s sensors and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance abilities, and is a fitting name for this pioneering capability.”

This new era of drones is meant to fly alongside crewed fighter jets and help in all the things from jamming radar to conducting surveillance and even firing on targets.

The Ghost Bat is the primary fight plane to be manufactured in Australia in over 50 years and is a sign to the world that Australian politicians are severe about investing extra money within the protection trade to counter what they sees as an more and more hostile China.

And that hawkishness in Australia is popping into massive cash for U.S.-based firms like Boeing, which generated about $62 billion in income final yr.

“As air warfare grows more complex and more sophisticated, remotely piloted aircraft and other uncrewed platforms are becoming increasingly vital assets for modern militaries,” Australian Defense Minister Dutton mentioned in a press release published online.

Dutton unveiled the brand new identify throughout a ceremony at RAAF Base Amberley within the state of Queensland the place the politician hinted at what makes the Ghost Bat so probably helpful in conflict.

“This new capability allows us to introduce more mass into the battlespace. An adversarial aircraft would not only have to contend with our crewed capability, but also numbers of uncrewed aircraft such as the MQ-28A Ghost Bat,” Dutton mentioned.

“The three test flight series have been successful and with a range of 3,700 kilometers, it complements our deterrence objective to hold a potential adversary’s forces and infrastructure at risk from a greater distance.”

And whereas Dutton’s been pushing onerous in Australia for extra army tasks within the nation, he might not have a lot time left to affect the course of Australia’s drones. The conservative authorities down underneath is up for re-election in May and Dutton’s Liberal Party will not be doing properly thus far within the polls.