Capabilities of MQ-28 “Ghost Bat” UCA to Be Developed for Germany
Germany’s Rheinmetall and US-based Boeing are cooperating to accelerate the development of Germany’s capabilities in the field of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
According to Polygonjournal, citing Rheinmetall, the mature platform of the MQ-28 “Ghost Bat” unmanned combat aircraft (UCA), developed by Boeing, will be used for this purpose.
It has been reported that the world’s leading air forces are moving from the CCA concept towards the development of actual military capabilities. The German Armed Forces also plan to develop relevant capabilities in this area. Previous flight tests of the MQ-28 “Ghost Bat” have demonstrated that the platform can meet Germany’s requirements for both air-to-ground and air-to-air operations.
The platform’s high level of technological maturity will enable Germany to rapidly develop its national capabilities based on the MQ-28, including the integration of domestically produced sensors, weapons and mission software.
In this process, Rheinmetall will act as the systems integrator. By establishing independent systems integration capabilities, the company will contribute to the development of national competencies within Germany’s defence industry in the field of CCA.
In addition, Boeing, Rheinmetall, Rohde & Schwarz, Diehl Defence and HENSOLDT are forming an industrial ecosystem in Germany that will enable the development and integration of CCA capabilities domestically in the long term.
Within the framework of the cooperation, software development, mission integration and intellectual property will be retained within Germany’s industrial ecosystem. This will enable national capabilities to be developed, tested and integrated on the MQ-28.
It has been noted that the experience gained will also be used in the development of future CCA platforms. The MQ-28 will continue to be upgraded based on digital twin technology, extensive flight testing and data obtained from the test programme conducted with the Royal Australian Air Force.
The MQ-28 “Ghost Bat” unmanned combat aircraft was developed by Boeing Australia and is primarily designed to operate in conjunction with manned combat aircraft and to perform intelligence, surveillance and strike missions.
