Media: Germany faces combat drone dilemma as defence ministry split delays programme

Internal divisions within Germany's Defence Ministry over whether to acquire Australia's MQ-28 Ghost Bat combat drone or wait for European alternatives are threatening Berlin's plans to field a new fleet of uncrewed combat aircraft by 2029, according to confidential ministry documents cited by Politico.

Germany is seeking reusable, jet-powered combat drones capable of carrying weapons, sensors and electronic warfare payloads into heavily defended airspace. Unlike the small, expendable drones widely used in the war in Ukraine, the aircraft are designed to operate repeatedly and eventually alongside crewed fighter jets such as the Eurofighter and the F-35.

The German Air Force currently lacks such a capability. While NATO expects Germany to provide it by 2035, Berlin had set a more ambitious objective of deploying an initial fleet by 2029 to allow the Luftwaffe to gain operational experience ahead of the alliance's deadline.

However, several confidential ministry papers reviewed by Politico indicate that officials remain divided over the procurement strategy. One group supports purchasing Boeing Australia's MQ-28 Ghost Bat as an interim solution while European programmes continue to mature. Others favour delaying any purchase until a competition is held, allowing German and European manufacturers more time to develop their own systems.

According to the report, a final internal memorandum prepared for State Secretary for Arms Jens Plötner concludes that the 2029 target can no longer be achieved and recommends postponing it.

Germany's Defence Ministry declined to comment.

The ministry's original proposal called for acquiring 12 MQ-28 Ghost Bat drones as an interim capability while simultaneously evaluating competing designs. Officials from the ministry's innovation department argued that this represented the only realistic path to meeting the 2029 timeline.

The debate reflects a broader challenge facing Germany as it seeks to modernise armed forces weakened by decades of underinvestment: whether to purchase advanced foreign-made equipment that can be deployed quickly or wait for domestic and European industry to develop comparable capabilities.

Under the initial proposal, Boeing and German defence company Rheinmetall would have explored adapting the MQ-28 to Germany's operational requirements, with part of the production taking place in Germany. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius publicly acknowledged the option during a visit to Australia in March, saying a purchase of Ghost Bats was under consideration.

Berlin also intended to organise a competition involving Boeing Defence Australia's MQ-28 Ghost Bat, the CA-1 Europa developed by German startup Helsing and Hensoldt, and the XQ-58 Valkyrie offered by Airbus in partnership with U.S. manufacturer Kratos.

However, a ministry assessment cited by Politico found that none of the available aircraft fully met Germany's requirements. It said the MQ-28 would require modifications to perform the ground-attack missions sought by Germany, while German-led alternatives were still insufficiently mature.

The report estimates the initial fleet would cost approximately €820 million, with much of the industrial work expected to take place outside Germany despite Rheinmetall's participation. That could also complicate parliamentary approval, as major defence acquisitions require authorisation from the Bundestag's budget committee, where lawmakers have increasingly favoured defence spending that strengthens German and European industry.

According to the final planning memorandum, officials now recommend reversing the original approach by holding the competition before committing to any procurement.

The memo argues that such a strategy would reduce the risk of investing in an aircraft requiring extensive modifications, provide more time for European projects to mature, and help Germany retain control over sensitive mission software.

The trade-off, however, would be a delayed timetable. With the competition not expected to begin until 2027, ministry officials reportedly concluded that selecting a winner, adapting the aircraft and introducing it into service by 2029 would no longer be feasible, although Germany would still seek to fulfil NATO's requirement by 2035.

In the meantime, officials have proposed relying in part on cruise missiles from 2027 to address part of the capability gap. Unlike reusable combat drones, however, cruise missiles are destroyed after launch and cannot perform the same range of missions.

Both options are expected to be considered by State Secretary Jens Plötner, who will decide the next steps for Germany's combat drone programme.