GERMANY might become one of the first international buyers of Australian-designed drones, as the two nations seek to deepen defence ties.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy and German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius will visit RAAF Base Amberley today, for a briefing on Boeing’s Ghost Bat drone.
Chief of the Air Force Stephen Chappell will also take in part in the high-level talks with the German delegation.
Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra yesterday, Mr Pistorius said purchasing the Ghost Bat was under consideration.
“What we did in Germany during the last month is we modernised our procurement processes,” he said.
The drone will serve as a “loyal wingman” to fighter jets, and is the first combat aircraft to be designed and made in Australia in 50 years.
Federal governments have poured more than $2.3 billion into the Ghost Bat’s development since 2019, with a number of countries including Japan and Poland expressing interest.
Six of the drones, which have been described by the Albanese government as “world-leading,” will join the Australian military as a war-fighting capability.
A factory is currently being built in Queensland to manufacture the Ghost Bat at scale.
The next phase of the drone’s development includes a weapons bay that can carry different kinds of missiles, used by various foreign militaries.
The government will also announce the first seven Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicles, built at Rheinmetall Defence Australia’s facility at Ipswich, have rolled off the assembly line.
A total of 211 Boxers will be built for the Australian Defence Force.
Rheinmetall Defence Australia will also manufacture more than 100 Australian-made Boxer heavy weapon carrier vehicles for the German Army in a contract worth more than $1 billion.
Mr Conroy said the announcement demonstrated the government’s commitment to supporting Australian jobs while delivering superior firepower to troops.
“Rheinmetall Defence Australia, their industry partners and a highly skilled Aussie workforce have partnered to deliver this home-grown capability for our ADF,” he said.
“But this partnership with Rheinmetall also shows how closely Germany and Australia are working together on critical military capabilities.”
