‘Busted flush’: Australian-developed Ghost Bat drone an ‘empty platform’

Strategic Analysis director Michael Shoebridge slams the Labor government for its decision not to integrate weapons on the locally developed Ghost Bat drone platform. “This was supposed to be the first combat aircraft designed and built in Australia for 50 years, it is now not going to be a combat aircraft,” Mr Shoebridge told Sky News Australia. “A big single bet on a really expensive per unit system by getting eight of them for $800 million, and it turns out the Americans won’t let us integrate weapons onto it, so the thing is a busted flush.” “What it is is an empty platform with a small payload.”