Unmanned systems updates: Government shutdown risks, UAS advances and eVTOL industry challenges

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To echo the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International’s (AUVSI) pleas to Congress, a prolonged government shutdown could impact recent efforts to establish stronger counter-UAS protection for sensitive establishments across the U.S. and forestall key Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hiring plans to support safe drone integration into the U.S. National Airspace System.

Nothing is good about having roughly 750,000 people out of work and stalling their buying contributions to the American economy, not to mention that air traffic controllers, Border Patrol agents and other essential services are still working without pay. Hopefully common sense will prevail and the government will reopen soon.

Originally known as the Boeing Airpower Teaming System or “Loyal Wingman,” the Boeing Australia MQ-28A Collaborative Combat Aircraft has been rechristened. Developed jointly by Boeing and the Royal Australian Air Force, the MQ-28A was not entered in the U.S. CCA competition and has remained fully employed in Australia with its team. Now referred to as the “Ghost Bat” — a name inspired by a north Australian flying bat by the same name, which uses “multi-spectral sensors” to hunt and learn in packs together — the name is a fitting analogy for the anticipated role of the MQ-28A.

Flying since February 2021, the Ghost Bat has made significant steps toward operational readiness. Using AI-powered intelligence to perform autonomously, Ghost Bat has a replaceable nose section, each fitted with different sensor suites appropriate for different missions.

With eight vehicles now available for a comprehensive operational verification test, in June and four months ahead of schedule, Ghost Bat completed a series of flights at both Woomera and Tindal bases in northern Australia. Capabilities demonstrated included autonomous missions, multi-ship operations and teaming with an E-7A Wedgetail early warning aircraft — including data fusion between multiple MQ-28A Ghost Bat aircraft and the crewed Wedgetail. The aircraft has flown for 150 hours and has accomplished more than 20,000 hours of virtual and ground testing. Able to find, fix, track and target, MQ-28A has proven its capability to carry out essential pieces of the air combat role — remaining elements include engage and assess, which will involve carrying air-to-air missiles later in 2025.

This apparently brings the Boeing MQ-28A close to operational capability and ready for volume manufacturing. The eight aircraft have been built at an automated manufacturing facility in Melbourne, where two improved versions are currently being built that incorporate improvements developed through the testing phase, and a combined GPS/INS system will replace the commercial GPS on the aircraft. Ground has meanwhile been broken on a 100,000-square-foot high-volume manufacturing plant in the Wellcamp Aerospace and Defence Precinct in Queensland — expected to be complete within three years.

While electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air-taxis under development progress towards certification by FAA and other agencies, introductory trials are also underway and agreements for future collaboration are being made all over around the world. While major players such as airlines and manufacturers have invested heavily to provide the capital for eVTOL development and manufacturing, one such agreement appears to be in trouble.

Lilium, a jet eVTOL developer, and GlobeAir, an existing operator of an Austrian fixed-wing business aviation operation, signed a memorandum of understanding in September 2022. GlobeAir posted an article on its website that said it saw the agreement with Lilium as a step toward the “next generation of regional air mobility” and that it intended to buy 12 jet-powered Lilium eVTOL aircraft “to operate in Northern Italy and the French Riviera.” GlobeAir was also reported to have supported the inclusion of several potential key local suppliers to participate in the build of Lilium aircraft.

Lilium went bankrupt in October 2024, and its assets and intellectual property have been up for bids. Emerging briefly from bankruptcy protection, Lilium again ended up broke and on the auction block in February 2025. Vaeridion has already purchased Lilium’s battery facility, and Ambitious Air Mobility is close to a deal to acquire the rest.

The CEO of GlobeAir has now told the magazine Aviation Week in an interview that he expects the whole eVTOL adventure to fail, given the cost of not only vehicle development and construction but also the landing and charging infrastructure needed. Other hurdles include the level of test and verification and excessive levels of documentation — overall being “highly regulated, with low margins.” It’s an unfortunate, perhaps premature assessment from an existing fixed-wing operator who contracts out last-mile passenger transitions to third-party helicopter operators.

So, there is another mixed bag of going ons in the world of unmanned and derivative eVTOL aircraft – hopefully following the restoration of funding for the government, paused programs will be restored to extend counter UAS defenses across the U.S., Ghost Bat will complete its combat engage and assess phases and there will be much better news on the eVTOL front.