On December 8, 2025, Australia’s MQ-28A Ghost Bat drone successfully executed its first live firing of a Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAM, downing a fighter-class target drone in a significant milestone for autonomous combat capabilities. This trial demonstrated the effective collaboration between uncrewed and crewed platforms, showcasing the Ghost Bat’s ability to engage targets based on external sensor data. For India and its Indo-Pacific allies, this development highlights the evolving landscape of air combat, emphasizing the importance of unmanned aerial vehicles in enhancing air dominance. The event signals a critical shift towards operationalizing collaborative combat aircraft, necessitating India to assess the implications for regional air power and potential interoperability with partners like Australia in the Indo-Pacific security framework.