![\"\"](\"https:\/\/theaviationist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Germany-MQ28A-Ghost-Bat-1-460x259.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Germany\u2019s defense minister Boris Pistorius said during his visit to Australia on Mar. 27, 2026, that Berlin is considering Boeing Defence Australia\u2019s MQ-28A Ghost Bat<\/a> Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), The Australian<\/em><\/a> and other local outlets said. The Ghost Bat would join a number of drones being evaluated to work together with the German Eurofighter Typhoon fleet.<\/p>\n Speaking to journalists prior to a briefing on the combat drone at RAAF Base Amberley, according to a copy of the report<\/a> in The Australian<\/em> shared by Senator James Paterson, the Shadow Minister for Defence, Pistorius said: \u201cWe are comparing, we have our experts, we have our companies there, and\u00a0 we [will] decide then, in time.\u201d He said Germany needed both \u201chigh end drones like the Ghost Bat\u201d and \u201clow-cost alternatives like those being used by Iran and Russia.\u201d \u201cWe need a reasonable and healthy picture of both,\u201d Pistorius added.\u00a0<\/p>\n This would make the Ghost Bat the third CCA being considered by Germany, with the others being the CA-1 Europa<\/a> by German defense start-up Helsing, and the Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie<\/a>. The latter was pitched to the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) after Kratos and Airbus Defense and Space announced a tie-up in July 2025, a deal which could pave the way for offers to other European nations.<\/p>\n At Parliament House, Minister Pistorius met They discussed closer co-operation on armaments and space. A statement of intent was signed to advance an Early Warning System against potential threats. \u2014 German Embassy AUS (@GermanyInOz) March 26, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The MQ-28A Ghost Bat reached a major milestone on Dec. 8, 2025, when it conducted its first live-fire test of an AIM-120C Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) at RAAF Base Woomera in South Australia, while leveraging sensor, detection, control and guidance data from the E-7A and F\/A-18F. The Australian government subsequently also committed an additional $930 million investment for the Ghost Bat program, with the first units of the serially produced UCAV expected this year.<\/p>\n The Australian-designed and manufactured MQ-28A Ghost Bat has marked another major milestone at \u2014 Defence Australia (@DefenceAust) December 10, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Towards that end, Airbus also announced on Mar. 13<\/a> that it is preparing the first two Valkyries it received from Kratos with European mission systems, electronics and flight autonomy software, at its facility in Manching, near Munich. The Uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (UCCA) is expected to fly with Germany\u2019s Eurofighter Typhoon<\/a> fighters later this year.<\/p>\n Another CCA in Europe that has been progressing fast is the Turkish Kizilelma<\/a>. After the LBA Systems joint venture<\/a> between Leonardo and developer Baykar, the Kizilelma is poised to demonstrate live Manned Unmanned-Teaming (MUM-T) tests with the M-346 in mid-2026, Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani said in a press conference<\/a> last week.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ghost Bat Begins \u2014 Defence Australia (@DefenceAust) January 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The Kizilelma was the first UCAV to fire a missile, the G\u00f6kdo\u011fan beyond-visual range air-to-air missile, a month before the MQ-28, in November 2025. It must also be noted that the CA-1 Europa has still not flown, unlike the Ghost Bat, Kizilelma or the Valkyrie, the first two of which have several prototypes and completed dozens of test flights.<\/p>\n However, this search for a new CCA comes amid an uncertain future of the sixth generation Future Combat Air System (FCAS<\/a>) being pursued by France, Germany and Spain, with massive differences in the workshare agreements<\/a> and project leadership between Dassault, Airbus and Indra. With Germany doubling down its F-35 plans with 15<\/a> more aircraft, Spain not considering<\/a> the stealth fighter any longer, and France\u2019s Dassault Aviation pushing with its own FCAS and the Rafale F5, it would be interesting to see how these four compete in the European market.<\/p>\n Two MQ-28 Ghost Bats were on full display at the The Ghost Bat uncrewed aircraft is designed to fly as a partner with crewed @AusAirForce<\/a> platforms, serving as a pathfinder for integrating\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/2gFI0riY1Z<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Defence Australia (@DefenceAust) September 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n According to BFMTV<\/em><\/a>, Canberra is \u201cconsidering a transfer of technology agreement\u201d to manufacture the Ghost Bat in Europe, with German defense major Rheinmetall in the running for producing the aircraft. Politico<\/em><\/a> further quoted Pistorius during a media interaction at Australia\u2019s National Press Club, saying the Ghost Bat was \u201cunder consideration,\u201d and suggesting that Germany wants to cast a wide net with more options on the choice of product.<\/p>\n Pistorius is on an Indo-Pacific tour, and the revelation of the interest in the Ghost Bat also comes at a time of a widening diplomatic trans-Atlantic gulf between the U.S. and its European allies. Saying Germany is shifting away from locking in long-term contracts and testing some systems before expanding orders, Politico<\/em> further quoted Pistorius: \u201cWe tested what they really offer \u2013 not just papers or videos.\u201d Germany would then move \u201cstep by step\u201d after evaluating each systems\u2019 performance.<\/p>\n Flight of the Ghost Bat! The MQ-28A Ghost Bat achieved first flight outside of Woomera Training area during Exercise Carlsbad.<\/p>\n Ghost Bat is the first military aircraft designed and built in Australia in more than 50 years. #YourADF<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/mO3Y0upyB6<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Defence Australia (@DefenceAust) June 21, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Pistorious\u2019s inclination towards the MQ-28A will boost Boeing Defense Australia\u2019s own plans to secure a foreign customer to spread out costs. The U.S. Air Force had previously said it had acquired a single airframe for testing, but it is unclear if the drone is being considered for its CCA program.<\/p>\n The Ghost Bat is also likely to be a contender for the U.S. Navy\u2019s CCA project, given that the aircraft was seen in the background of an official Dec. 6, 2025<\/a>, video about Secretary Pete Hegseth\u2019s visit to Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California. This hinted that the service is possibly evaluating the aircraft to determine the requirements for its CCAs.<\/p>\n Pistorius, while speaking alongside his Australian counterpart Richard Marles, also hoped to increase German and Australian defense industrial cooperation. The Australian<\/em> named collaboration in \u201cspace based threats\u201d as one of the areas, adding that German arms company TDW also signed a commitment to supplying and maintaining warheads for two types of missiles produced in Australia.<\/p>\n The statement by Airbus<\/a> about the first two XQ-58A Valkyries it received from Kratos said that before their maiden flight with a \u201csovereign European mission system,\u201d scheduled later this year, Airbus is equipping the Unmanned Collaborative Combat Aircraft (UCCA) with the the Multiplatform Autonomous Reconfigurable and Secure (MARS) system. MARS features the AI-enabled MindShare software, \u201cwhich not only replaces the missing pilot, but is also capable of coordinating entire mission groups by being distributed across many manned and uncrewed platforms.\u201d<\/p>\n May we present? This is the Valkyrie.<\/p>\n Airbus is working at full throttle to offer the German Air Force an operational Uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (UCCA) system by 2029. In Manching, near Munich, the company is currently preparing the first two Valkyries it acquired\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/eJ4aUpvvk4<\/a><\/p>\n\n
![\"\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/72x72\/1f1e6-1f1fa.png\")
Deputy PM Marles and Defence Industry Minister Conroy.<\/p>\n
\n![\"\ud83c\udfa5\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/72x72\/1f3a5.png\")
: Bundeswehr\/Bock pic.twitter.com\/os0zZPrRuC<\/a><\/p>\n\n
![\"\ud83d\udccd\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/72x72\/1f4cd.png\")
RAAF Base Woomera, SA \u2013 becoming one of the first Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) to successfully engage an aerial target with an air-to-air missile in an operationally relevant\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/zdcAyH6L6p<\/a><\/p>\nOther CCA programs in Europe<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
![\"\ud83d\udc7b\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/72x72\/1f47b.png\")
![\"\ud83e\udd87\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/72x72\/1f987.png\")
The MQ-28A Ghost Bat is the first military aircraft to be designed and built in Australia in more than 50 years. This uncrewed aerial vehicle is designed to fly as a partner with crewed @AusAirForce<\/a> platforms, serving as a pathfinder for the integration of\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/vttQq9MLa4<\/a><\/p>\n\n
Woomera Range Complex, taking part in a test flight during a capability demonstration.<\/p>\nGermany interested in the MQ-28A Ghost Bat<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
![\"\u2708\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/72x72\/2708.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Helsing](\"http:\/\/theaviationist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Helsing_Europa-706x397.jpg\")
<\/a>Europeanized XQ-58A Valkyrie<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n