TSAMTO, July 23. The German company Hensoldt AG has joined the German industrial group under the auspices of Boeing for the MQ-28 Ghost Bat tank, formed as part of the German Air Force's proposal for a program for the joint combat use of UAVs and manned aircraft Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
As reported in the press release of Hensoldt AG dated July 22, the relevant memorandum of understanding was signed by the parties at the Farnborough International Airshow 2026 international aviation and Space exhibition.
According to the terms of the agreement, Hensoldt will provide platform-independent technological solutions in the field of sensor systems and components of the combat control system, as well as integration services for these subsystems aboard the MQ-28 Ghost Bat UAV. The company also announced its readiness to use many years of experience in maintenance and life cycle extension to ensure the operational readiness of the platform within the framework of the German defense support system, if the Bundeswehr makes a positive decision on the choice of UAVs.
Dietmar Thelen, head of the Hensoldt multi-domain solutions division, said that the company's contribution goes beyond the supply of sensor equipment and includes the integration of combat control systems, as well as the consolidation of national key technologies within the proposed solution.
Michael Heidinger, President of Boeing Germany, noted that Hensoldt's expertise in sensor technology and control system integration will strengthen the industrial team and enable it to offer the Luftwaffe a sovereign German solution under the CCA program.
With the addition of Hensoldt, the German industrial group under the auspices of Boeing under the MQ-28 Ghost Bat program now includes four national German partners – Rheinmetall, Diehl Defense, Rohde & Schwarz and Hensoldt.
Earlier, on March 31, 2026, Rheinmetall and Boeing Australia signed a strategic agreement to jointly promote the MQ-28 Ghost Bat for the needs of the Bundeswehr, under which Rheinmetall was designated as the program's system manager in Germany responsible for integrating UAVs into existing and future control and weapons systems. In June 2026, at ILA-2026 in Berlin, Diehl Defense, responsible for the integration of air-to-ground weapons, and Rohde & Schwarz, which provides secure communications architecture based on the NEMACS broadband system, joined the team.
Additionally, at the Farnborough International Airshow 2026, Glen Ferguson, head of the Boeing MQ-28 program, announced that Leonardo and Eaton had also joined the international UAV industrial cooperation, while Hensoldt's participation was focused directly on the German market as part of the CCA competition.
The MQ-28 Ghost Bat UAV was developed by Boeing Defense Australia and is considered the most technically mature model in the Reliable Wingman (CCA) class, which has completed over 150 test flights. Germany is considering the possibility of adopting a modified version of the device by 2029 as part of the "reliable wingman" concept for joint use with manned aircraft.
