Germany changes course on plans to buy MQ-28 drone wingman: Boeing official

Boeing's MQ-28 Ghost Bat Collaborative Combat Aircraft on display at the Farnborough Air Show. (Breaking Defense)

BELFAST — The German Ministry of Defence has formally notified Boeing that it will not be directly procuring the company’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone wingman, as Berlin readjusts plans for a lucrative Collaborative Combat Aircraft procurement.

A spokesperson for the US giant told Breaking Defense today that the ministry had “informed” the company of the move to abandon the aircraft purchase. Berlin’s decision was first reported by Politico.

The Boeing spokesperson deferred comments on why the German Ministry of Defence had ended the Ghost Bat acquisition plan to the ministry.

In a statement to Breaking Defense, a German Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: Based on a “matter of principle—and regardless of the specific case in question—we cannot provide information regarding potential procurement projects.” The spokesperson added, “This is due to regulations concerning procurement and public contracting law, as well as the requirement that such matters first be addressed by parliament.”

The new wingmen will fly alongside fighter jets and carry out strike missions. Germany has set a target of 2029 to field them, which would make it the first European country to reach such a milestone, but that timeline now looks to be in doubt. Politico stated that Berlin will wait until the early 2030s for the capability to arrive, with aircraft tests starting in 2027. The tests are a chance for other competitors and Boeing to fight to be selected for the CCA acquisition.

The Boeing spokesperson explained that the company “stands ready to support” its German customer on next steps.

A host of other airframers are likely to offer their wares, including Germany’s Helsing, pitching the CA-1 Europa . The CCA, according to the firm, is due to be ready for operations by 2029. Under a partnership between Airbus and US manufacturer Kratos, the U740-Valkyrie is also set to compete to be Germany’s CCA. First flight of the wingman drone was announced on Monday.

European-made Black Hawk gets an armed upgrade

New kits turn Black Hawks into attack Hawks in just three hours.

“This key milestone confirms that Airbus and Kratos are on track to deliver a combat-ready uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) by 2029, addressing the operational requirements of the German and other European Armed Forces,” said the European prime, in a statement at the time.

Further afield, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems could also offer a wingman from its Gambit family. “We have certainly spoken to Germany many, many times about our CCA and what there is to offer,” company spokesperson C. Mark Brinkely told Breaking Defense in June.

Breaking Defense Video

Hegseth talks autonomy at AUSA, a key show focus

Army doubles down on autonomy, stakes out Indo-Pacific role: AUSA Day 2

Telle talks ‘manufacturing rodeo,’ supply chain ‘weak links’: AUSA Day 1

New leaders, new drone command: What we expect from AUSA 2026

Unpacking Boeing’s F/A-XX win, plus a report from wartime Ukraine

How Hegseth envisions a new Autonomous Warfare Command

What Europe’s military air fleets will look like in 30 years

Riyadh gets closer to F-35s, Damascus presses sovereignty and an expert take on Iran

Drone-hunting on the border, plus turmoil at an Air Force think tank

The future of European airpower might be unmanned

波音公司的MQ-28“幽灵蝙蝠”协同作战飞机在范堡罗航展上展出。（Breaking Defense）

贝尔法斯特——德国国防部已正式通知波音公司，将不会直接采购该公司生产的MQ-28“幽灵蝙蝠”无人机僚机，因为柏林正在调整一项利润丰厚的协同作战飞机采购计划。

这家美国巨头的发言人今天告诉《防务新闻》，国防部已“通知”该公司取消购买这架飞机的计划。柏林的这一决定最初由Politico报道。

波音公司发言人拒绝就德国国防部为何终止“幽灵蝙蝠”无人机采购计划发表评论，并将此问题交由国防部负责。

德国国防部发言人在致Breaking Defense的一份声明中表示：“基于原则，无论具体情况如何，我们无法提供有关潜在采购项目的信息。”该发言人补充道：“这是由于采购和公共合同法的相关规定，以及此类事项必须首先由议会审议的要求。”

这些新型僚机将与战斗机并肩飞行，执行打击任务。德国原计划在2029年完成部署，这将使其成为首个达到这一里程碑的欧洲国家，但目前看来，这一时间表存在疑问。《政治报》（Politico）报道称，柏林方面将等到2030年代初才正式部署该型战机，飞机测试将于2027年开始。此次测试也为其他竞争对手和波音公司提供了争夺CCA项目采购权的机会。

波音公司发言人解释说，该公司“随时准备为”其德国客户采取下一步行动提供支持。

包括德国赫尔辛公司在内的多家其他飞机制造商也可能参与竞标，赫尔辛公司将推出CA-1 Europa。据该公司称，这款CCA（通用空中作战飞机）预计将于2029年投入运营。此外，空客公司与美国制造商克拉托斯公司合作开发的U740-Valkyrie无人机也将参与竞标德国CCA。这款僚机无人机的首飞已于周一宣布。

欧洲制造的黑鹰直升机获得武装升级

全新装备只需三小时即可将黑鹰直升机改装成攻击型黑鹰直升机。

“这一关键里程碑证实，空客和克拉托斯正按计划推进，将于 2029 年前交付一架可投入战斗的无人协同作战飞机 (CCA)，以满足德国和其他欧洲武装部队的作战需求，”这家欧洲主要制造商当时在一份声明中表示。

再远一点，通用原子航空系统公司还可以提供其“Gambit”系列的僚机。“我们确实已经多次与德国方面讨论过我们的CCA（协同作战飞机）以及我们可以提供的产品，”公司发言人C·马克·布林克利在6月份接受《防务新闻》采访时表示。

突破性防御视频

Hegseth 在 AUSA 大会上谈到了自主性，这是本次大会的一个重点议题。

陆军加倍强调自主性，明确印太地区角色：AUSA第二天

特勒谈“制造业乱象”、供应链“薄弱环节”：AUSA第一天

新领导人，新无人机指挥部：我们对 AUSA 2026 的期待

深入剖析波音F/A-XX的中标，以及来自战时乌克兰的报道

赫格塞斯设想的新型自主作战指挥部

30年后欧洲军用空军机队会是什么样子

利雅得距离F-35战机更近一步，大马士革强调主权，以及专家对伊朗的看法

边境无人机猎杀行动，以及空军智库的动荡

欧洲空军的未来或许在于无人化。