Boeing Teams Up with Leonardo on MQ-28 Ghost Bat Combat Drone Project

Boeing has confirmed that Italy's Leonardo is now an official partner on the MQ-28 Ghost Bat, a combat drone designed to fly alongside crewed fighters. This move marks a significant shift in the program, which was previously seen as an Australian project with limited European involvement.

The partnership with Leonardo, which began eight years ago and has contributed electronic systems, is now formalized, signaling a new direction for the Ghost Bat in the European market. Boeing's MQ-28 Program Global Director, Glen Ferguson, emphasized that the goal is to build a library of capability inside partner companies, allowing for quick and sovereign response to future customer needs.

The Ghost Bat has already accumulated over 200 flight hours and flew nine sorties in the Valiant Shield exercise, demonstrating its maturity and capabilities. Boeing says it could have flown well over 1,000 real hours by now, but instead chooses to 'fly to validate' rather than prove.