Farnborough 2026: Boeing positions Ghost Bat for surge in European CCA interest

The MQ-28A Ghost Bat CCA alongside an MBDA Meteor BVRAAM missile, at the Farnborough International Airshow 2026. Boeing considers its solution to be well placed to capitalise on a surge in European interest in CCAs. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)

Boeing sees its MQ-28 Ghost Bat ‘loyal wingman' as being poised to take advantage of a growing European demand for collaborative combat aircraft (CCA), senior company and programme officials said on 21 July 2026.

Speaking at the Farnborough International Airshow 2026 (FIA26) running from 20 to 24 July, Senior Director of Global Business Development for Europe and the Americas at Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS), Tim Flood, said that the Ghost Bat that is being developed in the first instance for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is in prime position to exploit a growing European demand for such an unmanned capability.

“We are seeing a lot of demand across in Europe,” Flood said, noting that the three key drivers that are fuelling this European interest and for which the Ghost Bat is prominently placed in the marketplace are urgency, capability and sovereignty.

“One of the key things that we are seeing that is really important for the market is urgency – number one is urgency,” he said. Flood noted that this urgency is coming from lessons being learned in Ukraine with regard the utility of unmanned technologies, and another is a rapid rise in NATO spending due to these rapid procurements, again as a result of the war in Ukraine.