RAAF AI combat drone: Boeing’s Australian MQ-28 Ghost Bat export likely as Rheinmetall strikes German deal
A ‘Ghost Bat’ combat drone developed in Australia for the RAAF is a step closer to entering service with a foreign military.
A combat drone developed locally for the Royal Australian Air Force and powered by artificial intelligence is a step closer to entering service with a foreign military following the signing of a strategic partnership in Germany.
The unmanned MQ-28 Ghost Bat, which is designed to accompany traditional fighter aircraft into battle, was unveiled by Boeing in 2019 and has since completed more than 150 flights, including an air-to-air weapon-firing late last year.
Boeing Australia and German defence giant Rheinmetall have now entered a strategic partnership in Berlin to offer the MQ-28 Ghost Bat as a “mature solution” for the European nation as it looks to procure “collaborative combat aircraft” by 2029.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“A proven autonomous CCA, it will act as a force-multiplier, teaming with manned platforms to provide critical combat mass in highly contested airspace”, the two companies said in a joint statement.
“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 would be the system manager for MQ-28 in Germany, overseeing system integration into existing and future command and weapon systems of the military, adaptation to national requirements and ensuring operational, maintenance and logistical support.
“With Boeing Defence Australia as a partner, we are laying the groundwork to optimally tailor the MQ-28 to the Bundeswehr’s (Germany’s Armed Forces) requirements,” Rheinmetall AG CEO Armin Papperger said.
Boeing’s Global President Brendan Nelson, a former Australian defence minister, said the partnership represented a coming together of two countries who “share a similar strategy for integrating collaborative combat aircraft into their air forces”.
“Our partnership will see Germany’s industrial base leverage years of Australian innovation and investment to field and evolve MQ-28 for the Bundeswehr,” Dr Nelson added.
Last week Germany’s visiting Defence Minister Boris Pistorius told the National Press Club a purchase of the Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat was “under consideration,” signalling his country’s growing interest in drones that can operate alongside fighter jets.
“We are comparing, we have our experts, we have our companies there, and we (will) decide then, in time,” Mr Pistorius said in Canberra, pointing to Germany’s push to integrate more autonomous systems into its military.
Other options being considered by the Bundeswehr are a competitor drone from Airbus which has teamed with US company Kratos, and another from German defence start-up Helsing, whose concept design is considered unlikely to be ready by 2029.
Australia’s MQ-28 bid is considered a strong contender, but the defence industry relationship has been tested in recent years following the problems connected to the Offshore Patrol vessel program originally awarded to German company Lurssen.
The signing of the new strategic partnership with Rheinmetall comes just days after the company’s CEO came under widespread fire for dismissing Ukraine’s drone-focused defence innovation as basic technology put together by “housewives in kitchens”.
“If every housewife in Ukraine can really make drones, then every housewife in Ukraine can be the CEO of Rheinmetall,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters in response.
