Defense Firms Display CCA Drones at Berlin Air Show

Boeing Australia and Rheinmetall displayed an MQ-28 Ghost Bat collaborative combat aircraft at the 2026 ILA Berlin Air Show on June 10. The drone was flown in from Australia after the companies announced their partnership less than three months earlier.

Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said negotiations with the German government are ongoing. He stated that if Germany wants the aircraft by 2029, contract talks would need to reach the final stage by next year.

The Boeing-Rheinmetall team reported a 25 percent increase in wingspan on the displayed Ghost Bat, allowing an additional 2,000 pounds of fuel, stores, and payloads. The aircraft can carry two AMRAAM missiles or four small-diameter bombs internally and has accumulated over 200 flight hours, according to MQ-28 global program director Glen Ferguson.

Helsing announced a new electronic-attack variant called the CA-1EA, expanding its CA-1 Europa platform. The company also plans a kinetic-attack version designated CA-1KA with first flights scheduled for early 2027. Airbus presented a full-scale model of its U760 Ravenstorm CCA concept, developed after last year's agreement with Kratos to purchase and modify two XQ-58A Valkyrie aircraft for the European market.

General Atomics displayed a full-sized Gambit-family drone, one of two designs selected in the first increment of the U.S. Air Force CCA program. A spokesperson said the company has discussed its CCA offering with German officials multiple times.

A spokesperson for the German

Ministry of Defense declined to comment on possible procurement projects ahead of parliamentary deliberations. The source material notes that German officials have referenced a 2029 timeframe in public statements about potential threats.