Boeing Australia has joined hands with Rheinmetall, Germany’s largest arms producer, to formally offer the MQ-28 Ghost Bat uncrewed aircraft to the Luftwaffe. If Germany chooses this Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), it will become its first export customer.
Rheinmetall announced on March 31, 2026, that it reached an agreement with Boeing Australia to jointly offer the drone to the German military. The company noted that the MQ-28 would be presented as “a mature solution for the Bundeswehr’s procurement of CCA into Germany by 2029, and described the Ghost Bat as “a world-leading, proven CCA.”
Notably, the move comes days after Defense Minister Boris Pistorius indicated that the country was considering buying the MQ-28. At the time, the Defense Minister said that a flexible procurement approach would be used in any potential deal, citing recent acquisitions of loitering munitions as evidence that Berlin is moving toward testing equipment in real-world settings before placing orders.
He said, “We tested what they really offer – not just papers or videos,” and emphasized that Germany would go “step by step,” scaling up only if systems functioned, in what is meant to be an effort to boost competition. This should work well given that the MQ-28 is a mature system that has already been extensively tested.
Rheinmetall will act as the “system manager” in Germany, including integrating the MQ-28 with existing and future Bundeswehr command-and-control and weapon systems and adapting it to national or sovereign requirements. Additionally, it will provide in-country maintenance, logistics, and operational support for the uncrewed aircraft.
“With Boeing Defence Australia as a partner, we are laying the groundwork to optimally tailor the MQ-28 to the Bundeswehr’s requirements,” Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG, stated. “As a system integrator, we ensure that integration, operation, and further development come from a single source while simultaneously strengthening industrial value creation in the form of an industrial hub in Germany and Europe. We see revenue potential for Rheinmetall in the range of three-digit millions of euros.”
On its part, Germany is reportedly seeking CCAs across different weight classes, with plans to acquire hundreds of units. In fact, the Luftwaffe aims to field operational CCA capability by 2029 to enhance its crewed fleet, which currently includes the Eurofighter Typhoons and Panavia Tornados, and will soon start receiving the American F-35 stealth fighter jets.
CCAs, also known as loyal wingman drones, are autonomous or semi-autonomous drones capable of performing high-risk missions, extending sensor range, carrying additional payloads, providing electronic warfare or jamming support, or conducting ground strikes. They are meant to function as force multipliers in a networked combat environment, while bolstering the survivability of manned jets by significantly reducing risk.
Germany’s Luftwaffe aims to introduce these systems quickly to fill capability gaps in its air power, especially as the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) sixth-generation fighter program has been delayed due to sustained differences over technology sharing with France.
While this creates a window of opportunity for Boeing Australia, it would not be a smooth ride. The Boeing Australia-Rheinmetall grouping faces challenges from the Airbus-Kratos team, which has offered the XQ-58A Valkyrie drone, and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI), which has reported interest in a European CCA, based on the US Air Force’s YFQ-42A prototype. Additionally, a German-based defense and technology start-up, Helsing, could also be in the reckoning with its own home-grown CCA design.
Boeing is currently seeking export customers for the MQ-28, mainly in the Indo-Pacific region, where Australia has been expanding its influence. For example, Australia and Japan signed a bilateral defense agreement in September 2025 that includes expanded cooperation on the MQ-28, but there is no clarity on whether Japan will buy the Ghost Bat, as it is developing its own homegrown loyal-wingman drones.
Last year, Boeing expanded its F-15EX offer to Poland by presenting the MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone as a loyal wingman at the MSPO 2025 exhibition, as reported by the EurAsian Times.
The US has also opted for the Australian uncrewed aircraft, albeit in a limited manner. The Pentagon acknowledged in 2022 that it had purchased at least one MQ-28 to help the US Air Force (USAF) with its advanced unmanned aircraft and autonomy initiatives. Meanwhile, an MQ-28 has been operating out of Naval Air Station Point Mugu in California, and the US Navy has sent a test-and-evaluation squadron to Australia to work on the aircraft.
MQ-28 For Germany
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 a manned fighter such as the Eurofighter Typhoon or the F-35 Lightning II, this ‘loyal wingman’ drone can extend the jet’s sensor range and enhance its 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 US since World War II. It has a range of about 3,700 kilometers and an endurance of over 10 hours, and is harder to detect due to its low radar cross-section.
Like a typical long-winged drone, the MQ-28 can conduct ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) missions, gathering real-time data and jamming enemy communications, radar, and defense systems. At the same time, it can carry out precision strikes against enemy targets or act as decoys to draw enemy fire, helping protect manned aircraft and bolstering overall survivability.
The MQ-28 can also provide additional defensive cover for manned flights, using onboard sensors to detect incoming threats, such as missiles or hostile aircraft.
In December 2025, Boeing conducted the first live fire test from the MQ-28 Ghost Bat, firing an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) launched over the Woomera Range Complex (WRC) in southern Australia. The Ghost Bat successfully engaged and destroyed an Australian-made Phoenix jet-powered target drone in collaboration with a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) E-7A Wedgetail and an F/A-18F Super Hornet.
The MQ-28 does not require constant pilot “remote control” like a traditional drone; instead, it uses onboard artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous behaviors to fly independently and adapt to changing situations. Multiple drones working in tandem with a manned platform allow a single pilot to manage more assets, effectively increasing overall combat power without requiring additional manned aircraft.
Notably, the Ghost Bat’s most alluring feature is that it can be manufactured for a fraction of the cost of a manned fighter and is disposable in contested areas.
With more than 150 test flights completed, the MQ-28 is regarded as the most advanced CCA in the world.
If it chooses the MQ-28, Germany could deploy the capability quickly without having to start from scratch or wait for technology to mature.
The MQ-28 has an open, modular architecture that allows rapid integration of new sensors, payloads, or software without major redesigns. This supports continuous capability growth as threats evolve and aligns with Germany’s broader airpower modernization, which includes the F-35 and a sixth-generation fighter jet within the FCAS framework.
The Ghost Bat is cost-effective and can be acquired in larger numbers, creating “affordable mass” for high-threat scenarios where losses are more acceptable than those of expensive manned aircraft.
A purchase would also have political significance because Germany has historically sourced significant airpower capabilities from European or American allies. The switch to an Australian-developed system would represent a shift in defense and industrial cooperation and an enhanced cooperation with Indo-Pacific countries.
Australia, on its part, has already acquired eight Block I pre-production MQ-28s. Additionally, it is already investing in enhancing the MQ-28 Ghost Bat’s capabilities. It has reportedly pledged additional investment of approximately A$1.4 billion, signed contracts for six Block 2 operational aircraft, and kick-started the development of an improved Block 3 prototype.
Boeing’s global program director, Glen Ferguson, said the Block 3 variant will feature internal weapons bays capable of carrying missiles, such as the AIM-120 and the Small Diameter Bomb, and will have its wingspan extended from 6 meters to 7.3 meters to increase fuel capacity and range.
Whether Germany could benefit from the improved, stealthier variants remains to be seen and depends on the extent of cooperation.
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