Boeing's Ghost Bat drone leads multi‑billion autonomous combat aircraft race

Boeing showcased its Ghost Bat autonomous combat drone at the Farnborough International Airshow, describing it as the most mature model in the emerging "collaborative combat aircraft" market. The unmanned fighter has already completed more than 100 test flights, participated in a U.S.–led multinational exercise and successfully fired live ammunition at an aerial target in December.

The U.S. Air Force expects such drones to cost roughly one‑third of a manned F‑35, and analysts project a future market of several hundred aircraft per year, with widespread adoption likely only after the mid‑2030s. Boeing is delivering seven Ghost Bat units to the Royal Australian Air Force under a three‑year contract worth 754 million Australian dollars (about 528 million US dollars).

German sensor specialist Hensoldt signed a memorandum of understanding with Boeing at the same show to supply avionics, mission‑system integration and maintenance for the MQ‑28 Ghost Bat. The German industrial team, which also includes Rheinmetall, Diehl Defence and Rohde & Schwarz, aims to equip the Luftwaffe with up to 400 larger combat drones from 2029 as a bridge to the future European FCAS programme. Competitors such as General Atomics, Anduril Industries (with its FURY drone) and Airbus are accelerating their own autonomous‑drone programmes, underscoring a multi‑billion‑dollar race to redefine air warfare.