Australia said on Tuesday it had struck a A$1.4 billion ($930 million) contract with Boeing Defense Australia for six operational Ghost Bat drones for the Australian Defense Force, after conducting the first live weapon test on an aerial target.

Axar.az reports, citing Reuters, the announcement coincided with talks between Australian and US defense and foreign ministers in Washington, where the security allies agreed to joint production and maintenance of hypersonic cruise missiles in Australia, and more rotations of US bomber aircraft.

The US is pressing its Indo Pacific ally to increase defense spending.

The Ghost Bat or MQ-28A is the first military aircraft designed in Australia in more than 50 years, to fly as a partner with crewed surveillance and fighter jets to a range of more than 3,700 km (2,300 miles).

Defense Minister Richard Marles said in a statement on Tuesday the Ghost Bat had recently tested an AIM-120 air-to-air missile against an aerial target, which demonstrated its “growing potential to deliver an operational capability for the Royal Australian Air Force.”

Australia has previously said it will spend A$10 billion on drones over the next decade.