Rheinmetall, Boeing partner on German MQ-28 Ghost Bat
Boeing’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat, a proven autonomous collaborative combat aircraft (CCA), has completed more than 150 flights and has been designed, developed and manufactured in Australia for the Royal Australian Air Force and other allied nations.
Rheinmetall and Boeing Australia have entered into a strategic partnership to offer the MQ-28 Ghost Bat as a mature solution for the Bundeswehr’s procurement of collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) into Germany by 2029.
Boeing’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat has completed more than 150 flights and has been designed, developed and manufactured in Australia for the Royal Australian Air Force and other allied nations, according to a media release.
A proven autonomous CCA, it will act as a force multiplier, teaming with manned platforms to provide critical combat mass in highly contested airspace. Its modular design and autonomous behaviours support a broad range of mission capabilities, including reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and the integration of weapons systems.
Under the partnership, Rheinmetall will be the system manager for MQ-28 in Germany, overseeing system integration into existing and future command and weapon systems of the Bundeswehr, adaptation to national requirements and ensuring operational, maintenance and logistical support, the media release said.
“With Boeing Defence Australia as a partner, we are laying the groundwork to optimally tailor the MQ-28 to the Bundeswehr’s requirements,” said Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG. “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.”
“This is not just a partnership between our companies but between two great countries, Germany and Australia, who share a similar strategy for integrating collaborative combat aircraft into their air forces,” said Dr. Brendan Nelson, president of Boeing Global. “Our partnership will see Germany’s industrial base leverage years of Australian innovation and investment to field and evolve MQ-28 for the Bundeswehr.”
