Boeing Teams Up with Rheinmetall to Pitch MQ-28 Ghost Bat for German Air Force

Boeing and Rheinmetall have formed a partnership to offer the MQ-28 Ghost Bat autonomous aircraft to the German Air Force. The goal is to accelerate Germany's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, providing advanced 'loyal wingman' capabilities for both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions by 2029.

The joint initiative leverages Boeing's mature, flight-tested MQ-28 Ghost Bat platform, which was originally developed in Australia for the Royal Australian Air Force. Rheinmetall will act as the system manager and integrator in Germany, leading mission software adaptation, national sensor integration, and maintenance support.

The MQ-28 Ghost Bat features a modular, swappable nose payload system and an open software architecture, allowing it to operate alongside crewed fighter aircraft using artificial intelligence. It has a range exceeding 2,000 nautical miles, near-supersonic speeds, and low-observable stealth geometry, making it suitable for reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and strike missions in contested airspace.