THE APEX TIMES
Boeing widens German MQ-28 Ghost Bat team with Diehl Defence and Rohde & Schwarz
The U.S. aerospace company says Diehl Defence and Rohde & Schwarz have joined Rheinmetall in Boeing’s German MQ-28 “Ghost Bat” industry team as the program targets Luftwaffe service by 2029.
Boeing said on June 10 that two more German defense firms have joined its German MQ-28 Ghost Bat “industry team,” formed to support the Luftwaffe’s planned use of the unmanned collaborative combat aircraft. The company did not announce a contract value, but the expansion indicates how Boeing intends to build out an in-country industrial footprint around the Australian-developed platform.
Diehl Defence and Rohde & Schwarz will join Rheinmetall, which Boeing described as the systems integration partner for German technology within the German MQ-28 effort. Boeing said Rheinmetall will play a lead role in integrating the autonomous combat drone into Bundeswehr systems, while Boeing’s MQ-28 team is based on work led by Boeing Defence Australia.
The MQ-28 program is positioned by Boeing as a modular, crew-risk-reducing aircraft concept in which mission equipment can be adapted to meet customer requirements. Boeing said the German team is designed to support national requirements, including development, testing, delivery and support, with an emphasis on “German customization” of the Ghost Bat.
Boeing Defence Australia vice president and managing director Amy List said the added partners bring together “Australian and German innovation” to deliver the MQ-28 to the Luftwaffe by 2029. She described Diehl Defence and Rohde & Schwarz as welcome additions to a team Boeing said will collaborate closely across the lifecycle of the aircraft.
Rheinmetall chief executive Armin Papperger said in the release that the company is responsible “within the Ghost Bat Germany team” for the seamless integration of the unmanned system into Bundeswehr communications and other mission architectures. He framed the role as part of strengthening next-generation air defense, backed by Rheinmetall’s industrial base in Germany.
Diehl Defence chief executive Helmut Rauch said his company is joining the effort to offer the MQ-28, described in the release as a “Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA),” to Germany’s home customer. He said Diehl intends to contribute expertise particularly in air-to-ground weapons and guided missiles for current and upcoming German armed forces requirements.
Rohde & Schwarz executive Andreas Domann linked the partnership to communications for future airpower concepts. He said Rohde & Schwarz is focused on secure, resilient and interoperable communications and broadband access to what it called the combat cloud, pointing to its Networked Multipoint Array Communications System (NEMACS). Boeing said the MoU or collaboration is intended to explore how Rohde & Schwarz’s communications, data exchange and mission systems could contribute to future CCA requirements and possible MQ-28 opportunities in Germany and Europe.
The announcement lands against a broader push by the MQ-28 program to demonstrate exportability and operational readiness. In late May, FlightGlobal reported that Boeing and the Royal Australian Air Force logged the first MQ-28 flights outside Australia, using a Block I configuration in three sorties from Point Mugu Naval Air Station in California, and that Boeing characterized the test work as validating autonomy and payload integration. Boeing’s release this week did not reference those U.S. flights, but the German team build-out suggests the company is attempting to translate test progress into a Germany-focused industrial plan.
What remains unclear is the commercial scope behind the partner additions. Boeing did not state whether Diehl Defence and Rohde & Schwarz have signed binding contracts, what specific workshares they will perform beyond the capability areas described, or how much of the work will occur in Germany versus under Boeing’s broader program structure. The release also did not provide program milestones beyond Boeing’s stated target of delivery to the Luftwaffe by 2029.
Next to watch is whether Boeing and Rheinmetall will detail the technical integration path for MQ-28 into Bundeswehr systems, including which communications and mission data standards will be used. Investors and defense watchers will also look for further clarification on schedule, the extent of German industrial work, and how the partner roles map to testing and delivery phases leading up to the 2029 target service date.
Why It Matters
- The partner expansion suggests Boeing is deepening Germany-specific industrial participation as it pursues a near-term fielding timeline.
- Rheinmetall’s systems integration role underscores that Germany’s MQ-28 effort is as much about integration into existing Bundeswehr architectures as it is about the aircraft itself.
- Rohde & Schwarz’s emphasis on “combat cloud” communications highlights how data links and interoperability could be central to CCA adoption.
- Diehl’s focus on guided missiles and air-to-ground weapons indicates Boeing is aligning German MQ-28 workshares with national armament priorities rather than relying on a single supply chain.
Sources
Key Facts
- Boeing said it expanded its German MQ-28 Ghost Bat industry team at ILA Berlin Air Show by adding Diehl Defence and Rohde & Schwarz.
- Rheinmetall is described by Boeing as the lead systems integration partner for German technology within the MQ-28 effort.
- Boeing Defence Australia is leading the MQ-28 program, and Boeing said the German team supports development, testing, delivery and support for national requirements.
- Boeing’s Amy List said the partners’ addition is aimed at delivering the MQ-28 to the Luftwaffe by 2029.
- Boeing said Diehl Defence will contribute expertise in air-to-ground weapons and guided missiles; it said Rohde & Schwarz will focus on secure, interoperable communications and mission systems centered on NEMACS.
- Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said the company will be responsible for integrating the autonomous combat drone into Bundeswehr systems.
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