The US aerospace giant, Boeing, has sweetened its F-15EX Eagle II offer to Poland by adding the MQ-28 Ghost Bat CCA (Collaborative Combat Aircraft). The new, augmented offer appears to appeal directly to Poland’s “affordable mass” requirement aimed at deterring Russia in the Eastern European region.
The enhanced offer was made at the MSPO 2025 exhibition in Kielce, Poland, which concluded on September 5, 2025. The aircraft was promoted by the US company as part of ‘Team Eagle’ alongside BAE Systems, GE Aerospace, and Raytheon, an RTX business.
The latest bid incorporates the MQ-28A Ghost Bat, Boeing’s loyal wingman unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), for potential manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) capabilities in the future, suggesting that Boeing’s proposal for the F-15EX Eagle II to Poland has evolved significantly since its initial public offering at MSPO in September 2023.
Tim Flood, senior director of international business development at Boeing, informed reporters at a roundtable at MSPO 2025 that the MQ-28, developed by Boeing Defence Australia and the Commonwealth of Australia, had already completed “hundreds” of test flights. Further, he added that there are plans to conduct air-to-air weapons testing in the next 12 months, in addition to manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) with a manned combat aircraft in 2026, Janes reported.
This may be the first public international marketing of Ghost Bat paired with F-15EX, building on US Air Force (USAF) tests of similar CCA concepts.
The offer is part of a massive export push for the aircraft by Boeing. Earlier, the manufacturer had sweetened the F-15EX offer for Indonesia by promising 85% production locally in the Southeast Asian country.
On its part, Poland has been mulling the purchase of 32 fighter jets for several years as part of an air dominance requirement.
Besides the Boeing F-15EX, the Eurofighter Typhoon and the F-35 (already purchased by the country) are also in the reckoning. Poland wants to expand its fighter fleet to 160 aircraft across 10 squadrons to address perceived gaps in air dominance capabilities amid rising security threats triggered by Ukraine’s invasion.
While Poland has acquired the stealthy F-35 that can penetrate air defenses, it is aware that the aircraft lacks the payload for saturation strikes. The potential acquisition of F-15EX, which can carry a larger payload, including 12 AMRAAM missiles, will provide an adequate complement to the stealthy F-35s.
Succinctly put, the F-15EX will operate as a missile truck for air superiority missions, while complementing the F-35 and the F-16s of the Polish Air Force.
Moreover, Boeing is exploiting a key requirement in Poland: “affordable mass” in airpower to deter Russia. The idea is to acquire cost-effective assets as compared to more expensive platforms, like the F-35.
The per-unit cost of the F-15EX will be significantly lower than that of the F-35, including its life-cycle costs. Additionally, the MQ-28A drone is a low-cost, expendable asset that would increase mission efficiency at a low cost. “The F-15EX with Ghost Bat creates an unbeatable team for Poland’s defense,” as Boeing’s Rob Novotny stated.
The Teaming Between F-15EX & MQ-28
Boeing has projected the F-15EX as the most sophisticated iteration of the F-15 fighter jet. A fact sheet released earlier this year stated that the aircraft can engage multiple targets simultaneously and perform a variety of missions per sortie, including air superiority, interdiction, and close air support.
Despite lacking the stealth characteristics of fifth-generation US fighters such as the F-22 Raptor and F-35, the F-15EX has exceptional combat capabilities, particularly its unparalleled payload capacity, which has earned it the moniker “Bomb Truck.”
The F-15EX Eagle II is designed to carry about 30,000 pounds of ammunition, which includes heat-seeking AIM-9 Sidewinders and AIM-120 AMRAAMs, which can engage threats beyond visual range, among others.
Additionally, the payload provides alternatives for integrating new weapons and fulfils long-range strike requirements. For ground attack missions, it can be loaded with around 24 air-to-ground munitions, including stand-off weapons, cruise missiles, and smart bombs.
The F-15EX is an agile fighter with an operational range of around 2,000 miles and a top speed of Mach 2.5, or 2,800 mph. Additionally, it has cutting-edge electronic warfare capabilities that preserve cargo while maintaining low detectability.
The kill ratio of F-15 fighter jets is admired by several air-superiority fighter jets around the world. The F-15’s exceptional service record, with fewer than two aircraft destroyed per 100,000 flight hours, is evidence of its dependability and effectiveness. No F-15 has ever been lost in air combat, while it has over 100 kills to its name.
The integration of this aircraft with a loyal wingman drone, or CCA, would further enhance mission capability.
The twin-seater F-15EX could allow the pilot and a weapons systems officer (WSO) to control multiple Ghost Bats in real-time via secure data links.
The MQ-28 is a stealthy, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven drone designed for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), electronic warfare (EW), and strike roles. When integrated with the F-15EX, this ‘loyal wingman’ drone can extend the jet’s sensor range and survivability in contested airspace.
Initiated under Australia’s Loyal Wingman Advanced Development Program, the MQ-28 is Boeing’s first combat aircraft designed outside the U.S. since World War II. It has a range of about 3,700 kilometers and an endurance of over 10 hours. Additionally, it is somewhat stealthy due to its reduced radar cross-section.
Besides state-of-the-art sensors that boost its Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance capabilities, the drone is also capable of jamming enemy radars. More importantly, though, it is capable of carrying lethal precision-guided munitions for offensive strike missions.
As of now, the MQ-28 has logged over 100 flight hours, and testing is ongoing for autonomy, sensor integration, and weapons carriage. As per recent reports, the drone has completed the Capability Demonstration 2025 test campaign with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and is on its way to induction by next year.
The most appealing thing about the Ghost Bat is that it can be produced at a fraction of manned fighter costs and is expendable in contested environments.
The Polish Ministry of National Defence (MON) has reportedly requested detailed briefings with a potential Letter of Request (LoR) for the F-15EX+Ghost Bat package by the fourth quarter of 2025. The Boeing offer includes offsets and prospects of local production that could make the offer more appealing for Poland.
While the USAF is the primary customer for the F-15EX, Boeing has intensified efforts to sell the aircraft to international buyers, so the production lines can keep running. The aircraft has been pitched to Indonesia, which also signed an MoU to buy the aircraft, Saudi Arabia, and Poland, to name a few countries. Israel has purchased an F-15EX iteration.
However, despite presenting a favorable deal, Boeing might have to wait as the country seems to have put on hold its plans to go ahead with the purchase of a new fighter jet.
Interested In CCA, But Fighter Purchase Paused
Poland’s deputy general commander of the Polish Armed Forces, Maj. Gen. Cezary Wisniewski told Breaking Defense last week that while the country still prioritizes acquiring more fighters in the near future, any progress on acquiring 32 new fighter jets is on hold until a new, long-term capability plan has been approved.
On the sidelines of the MSPO trade conference, Wisniewski stated that the 15-year planning document is expected to be finalized in “a matter of months.” However, this does not provide a clear timeline for when a selection, let alone a contract award, may really occur.
“My gut feeling — more than gut feeling — is that there will be resources allocated for new fighters and the CCA [Collaborative Combat Aircraft program] in the next 15 years [capability planning] cycle,” Wisniewski said. But if that buy of more combat jets “happens a year from now, five years from now, or ten years from now, I cannot say.”
“I would say that because we’re working on a new [long-term, capability] plan, some of the procedures [have] slowed down right now, [we are] just waiting for the new approval,” shared Wisniewski. “I believe that when you get the new plan, this is like a 15-year cycle plan….we can move forward,” with acquiring additional fighter jets. The procurement process is “probably [a] longer process than we thought, like two years ago.”
Regarding CCA developments, he also noted, “watching very carefully what the US Air Force is doing right now” in relation to CCA developments. “My point about the loyal wingman is that the Polish Air Force wants to be a part of this solution. We see this as very important, especially because we see in Europe less and less combat fighters operating.”
The pause in purchase might, nonetheless, come as a bummer for Boeing, whose representative said at the last MSPO that “we are targeting late 2024 or [early] 2025” for a selection decision.
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