Rheinmetall, Boeing Australia to team on collaborative combat aircraft for Germany
NewsMarch 31, 2026
DUSSELDORF, Germany. Rheinmetall and Boeing Australia entered a strategic partnership to offer the MQ-28 Ghost Bat for Germany’s planned 2029 fielding of collaborative combat aircraft, the company announced in a statement.
Under the arrangement, Rheinmetall would serve as system manager for the MQ-28 in Germany, overseeing integration with current and future Bundeswehr command-and-weapon systems, adaptation to German requirements, and operational, maintenance, and logistics support, the statement reads.
The MQ-28 Ghost Bat has logged more than 150 flights and was designed, developed, and built in Australia for the Royal Australian Air Force and other allied nations, according to the statement. The companies describe the platform as an autonomous aircraft intended to operate alongside crewed systems, with missions that can include reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and weapons-system integration.
Rheinmetall says the partnership would also support an in-country digital environment where German and Australian engineers could test and validate software and hardware updates. The company says the aircraft’s modular architecture is intended to support upgrades and the addition of German-developed content over time.
The companies say the effort is meant to shorten the timeline for Germany to field a collaborative combat aircraft capability by 2029.
