German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the MQ-28 Ghost Bat is among the uncrewed aircraft being evaluated to support the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter fleet.
Germany’s defense minister Boris Pistorius said during his visit to Australia on Mar. 27, 2026, that Berlin is considering Boeing Defence Australia’s MQ-28A Ghost Bat Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), The Australian 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.
Speaking to journalists prior to a briefing on the combat drone at RAAF Base Amberley, according to a copy of the report in The Australian shared by Senator James Paterson, the Shadow Minister for Defence, Pistorius said: “We are comparing, we have our experts, we have our companies there, and we [will] decide then, in time.” He said Germany needed both “high end drones like the Ghost Bat” and “low-cost alternatives like those being used by Iran and Russia.” “We need a reasonable and healthy picture of both,” Pistorius added.
This would make the Ghost Bat the third CCA being considered by Germany, with the others being the CA-1 Europa by German defense start-up Helsing, and the Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie. 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.
At Parliament House, Minister Pistorius met 🇦🇺 Deputy PM Marles and Defence Industry Minister Conroy.
They discussed closer co-operation on armaments and space. A statement of intent was signed to advance an Early Warning System against potential threats.
🎥: Bundeswehr/Bock pic.twitter.com/os0zZPrRuC
— German Embassy AUS (@GermanyInOz) March 26, 2026
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.
The Australian-designed and manufactured MQ-28A Ghost Bat has marked another major milestone at 📍 RAAF Base Woomera, SA – 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… pic.twitter.com/zdcAyH6L6p
— Defence Australia (@DefenceAust) December 10, 2025
Other CCA programs in Europe
Towards that end, Airbus also announced on Mar. 13 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’s Eurofighter Typhoon fighters later this year.
Another CCA in Europe that has been progressing fast is the Turkish Kizilelma. After the LBA Systems joint venture 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 last week.
Ghost Bat Begins 👻🦇 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 platforms, serving as a pathfinder for the integration of… pic.twitter.com/vttQq9MLa4
— Defence Australia (@DefenceAust) January 4, 2026
The Kizilelma was the first UCAV to fire a missile, the Gökdoğan 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.
However, this search for a new CCA comes amid an uncertain future of the sixth generation Future Combat Air System (FCAS) being pursued by France, Germany and Spain, with massive differences in the workshare agreements and project leadership between Dassault, Airbus and Indra. With Germany doubling down its F-35 plans with 15 more aircraft, Spain not considering the stealth fighter any longer, and France’s 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.
Two MQ-28 Ghost Bats were on full display at the 📍 Woomera Range Complex, taking part in a test flight during a capability demonstration.
The Ghost Bat uncrewed aircraft is designed to fly as a partner with crewed @AusAirForce platforms, serving as a pathfinder for integrating… pic.twitter.com/2gFI0riY1Z
— Defence Australia (@DefenceAust) September 9, 2025
Germany interested in the MQ-28A Ghost Bat
According to BFMTV, Canberra is “considering a transfer of technology agreement” to manufacture the Ghost Bat in Europe, with German defense major Rheinmetall in the running for producing the aircraft. Politico further quoted Pistorius during a media interaction at Australia’s National Press Club, saying the Ghost Bat was “under consideration,” and suggesting that Germany wants to cast a wide net with more options on the choice of product.
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 further quoted Pistorius: “We tested what they really offer – not just papers or videos.” Germany would then move “step by step” after evaluating each systems’ performance.
Flight of the Ghost Bat! ✈️👻🦇
The MQ-28A Ghost Bat achieved first flight outside of Woomera Training area during Exercise Carlsbad.
Ghost Bat is the first military aircraft designed and built in Australia in more than 50 years. #YourADF pic.twitter.com/mO3Y0upyB6
— Defence Australia (@DefenceAust) June 21, 2025
Pistorious’s inclination towards the MQ-28A will boost Boeing Defense Australia’s 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.
The Ghost Bat is also likely to be a contender for the U.S. Navy’s CCA project, given that the aircraft was seen in the background of an official Dec. 6, 2025, video about Secretary Pete Hegseth’s 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.
Pistorius, while speaking alongside his Australian counterpart Richard Marles, also hoped to increase German and Australian defense industrial cooperation. The Australian named collaboration in “space based threats” 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.
Europeanized XQ-58A Valkyrie
The statement by Airbus about the first two XQ-58A Valkyries it received from Kratos said that before their maiden flight with a “sovereign European mission system,” 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, “which not only replaces the missing pilot, but is also capable of coordinating entire mission groups by being distributed across many manned and uncrewed platforms.”
May we present? This is the Valkyrie.
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… pic.twitter.com/eJ4aUpvvk4
— Airbus Defence (@AirbusDefence) March 13, 2026
The Airbus statement added further: “To enable the Eurofighter to act as a ‘command aircraft’ with cross-platform connectivity performance, Airbus and Rafael are enhancing the Litening 5 Advanced Targeting Pod, already contracted for the Eurofighter fleet, with a connectivity capability. Along with minor updates to the Eurofighter’s avionics, these enhancements will significantly increase the aircraft’s lethality in combat.”
