Boeing Expands German MQ-28 Ghost Bat Industry Team

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Boeing has welcomed two additional industry partners at the ILA Berlin Air Show to expand its German MQ-28 Ghost Bat industry team. They join strategic industry partner Rheinmetall, who will play a lead role in Boeing’s industry team as the systems integration partner of German technology for the MQ-28.

The MQ-28 Ghost Bat program, led by Boeing Defence Australia, has grown to include partnerships with a team of leading German aerospace primes – Diehl Defence and Rohde & Schwarz.

Boeing and its MQ-28 industry team will support German national requirements, including:

• Diehl Defence will explore weapons integration and technical support. This includes integrating German weapons into the MQ-28 as directed by the customer, providing technical data, product support, and training, and contributing software elements that support air combat chains.
• Rohde & Schwarz will contribute to the integration of mission and communications systems with other Bundeswehr command and weapon systems, ensuring tailored adaptations to meet German national requirements, and providing operational, maintenance, and logistical support for these systems.

Amy List, vice president and managing director, Boeing Defence Australia said, “We’re bringing together the best of Australian and German innovation to be able to deliver the MQ-28 to the Luftwaffe by 2029. Welcoming Diehl Defence and Rohde & Schwarz to our team is a significant step forward — together, we’ll collaborate closely on development, testing, delivery and support to ensure maximum flexibility and German customization of this Australian-developed platform.”

Armin Papperger, CEO, Rheinmetall said, “We are grateful to be acting as a strategic partner to Boeing on this programme. As Germany’s leading supplier to the armed forces, we are taking responsibility within the Ghost Bat Germany team for the seamless integration of this autonomous combat drone into the Bundeswehr’s systems. As a reliable systems manager with a strong industrial base, we guarantee expert support and technological value creation in Germany. Through this strong alliance, we are strengthening next-generation air defence.”

Helmut Rauch, CEO, Diehl Defence said, “At Diehl Defence, we are excited to join the Team Ghost Bat Germany, led by Boeing Australia, on the approach to offer the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) MQ-28 to our home country customer. We are keen to contribute our expertise, especially in the field of air-to-ground weapons and guided missiles, as part of the solution for the current and upcoming challenges and requirements of the German armed forces.”

Andreas Domann, Vice President Multidomain Directional Communications Systems Business, Rohde & Schwarz said, “Rohde & Schwarz is committed to supporting secure, resilient, and interoperable communications for future airpower concepts providing broadband access to the combat cloud with the breakthrough Networked Multipoint Array Communications System (NEMACS). Through this MoU, we look forward to exploring with Boeing how our expertise in communications, data exchange, and mission systems could contribute to future Collaborative Combat Aircraft requirements, including potential MQ-28 opportunities in Germany and Europe.”