Germany eyes Australian 'Ghost Bat' for drone combat era

Germany is considering Australia's "Ghost Bat" robot fighter as it looks to select a combat drone to modernise its air force, defence minister Boris Pistorius said Friday.

Germany has said it wants to field hundreds of unmanned fighter jets by 2029, and will make a decision soon as it considers a range of German, European, and US projects developing so-called "collaborative combat aircraft".

Australia has said it will integrate the Ghost Bat, jointly developed by Boeing Australia and the Royal Australian Air Force, into its military after a successful weapons test last year.

After inspecting the Ghost Bat in Queensland on Friday, Pistorius told reporters it was a "serious competitor" and Germany will "make a decision as soon as possible".

Australian sources said Canberra would consider striking a deal to transfer the technology to Germany to allow the Ghost Bat to be manufactured in Europe.

German company Rheinmetall makes troop carriers in Brisbane under a similar arrangement.

Ghost Bat is not subject to strict US defence export controls that other projects involving US partners must navigate to sell to foreign customers, analysts said.

Australia's vast coastline and small population have spurred its focus on developing robot submarines and fighter jets, with a wary eye on China's naval build-up in the Indo-Pacific.

More from this section

India declares victory over Maoist insurgency

After pope's remark, White House defends praying for US troops

There’s a competition crisis in America’s state legislatures – and that’s bad for democracy

Australian Strategic Policy Institute defence analyst Malcolm Davis said the Ghost Bat was designed to work alongside a crewed jet and return to base -- unlike the cheap kamikaze drones used by Iran, and in the Ukraine conflict.

"This is a new type of approach to air power where you have a crewed fighter giving directions to four or five Ghost Bats flying in formation with it," he said.

"It is a robot fighter that is told to go off and patrol that target, shoot that down."

Uncrewed aircraft would allow Australia to make its air force larger and more powerful at lower cost, he said.

Pistorius noted the rise of cheaper mass produced drones in the Iran and Ukraine conflicts.

"We can't ignore high-end products as well as low-cost products -- we need both," he said.

kln/sft/fox