Boeing and Rheinmetall Advance Germany’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft Capabilities With MQ-28 Ghost Bat Platform

Boeing and Rheinmetall Advance Germany’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft Capabilities With MQ-28 Ghost Bat Platform

(IN BRIEF) Boeing and Rheinmetall are positioning the MQ-28 Ghost Bat as a mature platform to accelerate Germany’s development of Collaborative Combat Aircraft capabilities. The companies say the MQ-28 can support both air-to-ground and air-to-air operations, while allowing Germany to integrate sovereign sensors, weapons and mission software. Rheinmetall will act as system integrator in Germany, supporting the development of domestic capabilities while keeping software development, mission integration and intellectual property within the German industrial ecosystem. Boeing is also working with Rheinmetall, Rohde & Schwarz, Diehl Defence and HENSOLDT to build a broader German industrial ecosystem for future CCA capabilities.

(PRESS RELEASE) DÜSSELDORF, 10-Aug-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Boeing and Rheinmetall are accelerating Germany’s path toward Collaborative Combat Aircraft capabilities by positioning the MQ-28 Ghost Bat as a mature platform for capability development.

Collaborative Combat Aircraft, also referred to in air-to-ground operations as strike-fighter drones, are moving from concept stage into practical introduction among leading air forces worldwide.

The German armed forces are also pursuing plans to develop this new military capability.

Boeing and Rheinmetall said the MQ-28 Ghost Bat is already available as a mature platform that can support rapid capability build-up.

Previous flight tests indicate that the MQ-28 can meet German requirements for both air-to-ground and air-to-air operations.

The maturity of the platform would allow Germany to begin developing sovereign capabilities immediately.

This includes the integration of German sensors, weapons and mission software.

Boeing is continuing to invest in further development of the MQ-28, including its air-to-ground capabilities.

Rheinmetall will contribute as system integrator to support the accelerated build-up of CCA capabilities in Germany.

The companies said the MQ-28 Ghost Bat’s current maturity level is a key factor.

To date, the MQ-28 Ghost Bat is described as the first and only strike-fighter drone to have already participated in multinational exercises, including the US military exercise Valiant Shield.

Glen Ferguson, Global Director of the MQ-28 programme at Boeing Defense Australia, said many CCA programmes around the world remain in the concept, definition or early test phase.

By contrast, he said the MQ-28A Ghost Bat has already completed essential development steps.

The MQ-28 Ghost Bat is also expected to provide the German Air Force with a realistic development and test environment for advancing procedures and tactics involving cooperation between manned and unmanned aircraft.

Ferguson said that, if the goal is to achieve this capability by 2029, work must begin now on tactics, training, force structure definition and the integration of sovereign technologies.

Boeing is currently working with Rheinmetall, Rohde & Schwarz, Diehl Defence and HENSOLDT to build an industrial ecosystem designed to enable Germany to develop and integrate the required capabilities domestically over the long term.

Rheinmetall is taking an initial step by establishing independent system integration for the MQ-28 in Germany.

Mike Schmidt, CEO of Rheinmetall’s Business Unit Air, Uncrewed and Space, said Germany does not have to choose between speed and independence.

He said the proposed approach enables both objectives to be achieved at the same time.

Schmidt added that the MQ-28 allows Germany to bypass the lengthy development phase of a new aircraft and move directly to the core task of making unmanned combat air system capabilities available to the German Air Force.

The establishment of independent system integration is also intended as an investment in the German defence industry.

Software development, mission integration and intellectual property would remain within the German industrial ecosystem.

This would allow national capabilities to be developed, tested and integrated immediately on the MQ-28.

The experience gained could then benefit future CCA platforms.

The MQ-28 is being continuously developed with the support of a digital twin, extensive flight test data and insights from the test programme with the Royal Australian Air Force.

Ferguson said the MQ-28 Ghost Bat was designed from the outset as a highly adaptable platform.

He said operational experience to date shows that the platform’s architecture can be adapted quickly to new mission requirements, including air-to-ground capabilities.

He added that this is not a retrofit, but the use of a modular design created from the beginning for continuous adaptation.

Through their cooperation, Boeing and Rheinmetall aim to provide Germany with a faster route to CCA capability development while strengthening national integration capacity, defence technology expertise and the domestic industrial base for future unmanned combat air systems.

Media Contact:

Patrick Rohmann
Senior Media Relations Manager / Spokesperson Digital Systems
Phone: +49 151 70 50 53 66

SOURCE: Rheinmetall