Germany drops direct purchase of Boeing MQ-28 drone wingman

Germany's defence ministry has told Boeing it will not directly buy the MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone wingman, reopening its collaborative combat aircraft procurement to competition.

Why it matters: The reversal puts Germany's 2029 target for fielding a drone wingman in doubt and opens a lucrative programme to rivals including Helsing and the Airbus-Kratos team.

Data as of Breaking Defense reporting published 15:19 UTC on 2026-10-16, opened and read in full. Single sourced to Breaking Defense, reporting a Boeing spokesperson and first reported by Politico; the German defence ministry declined to comment on the specific case, hence grade C.

Germany’s Ministry of Defence has formally notified Boeing that it will not directly procure the company’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone wingman, a Boeing spokesperson told Breaking Defense, as Berlin readjusts its collaborative combat aircraft plans. Germany had targeted 2029 to field wingman drones alongside its fighter jets, which would have made it the first European country to do so, but that timeline now looks to be in doubt.

The German ministry declined to comment on the specific case, citing procurement rules, and Boeing said it stands ready to support Berlin on next steps, with rival offers expected from Helsing and the Airbus-Kratos partnership among others.

Germany drops direct purchase of Boeing MQ-28 drone wingman

Sources