The Farnborough International Airshow 2026 has become a showcase for the future of warfare, with Boeing unveiling the MQ-28 Ghost Bat, an advanced AI-powered collaborative combat aircraft designed to fly alongside manned fighter jets. The aircraft represents a major leap in autonomous military aviation, surveillance, electronic warfare, and combat operations. The event also highlighted growing cooperation between American defense companies and European missile manufacturers, including the display of the MQ-28 Ghost Bat alongside the MBDA Meteor missile, signaling deeper defense collaboration amid rising global security threats.

Farnborough Airshow 2026: Boeing's MQ-28 Ghost Bat signals future of Modern Air Combat

While political rhetoric continues to highlight tensions between Washington and Europe over defence spending, a different story is unfolding on the exhibition floor at the Farnborough International Airshow.Two of America’s leading defence companies—Boeing and General Atomics—have positioned some of their most advanced next-generation unmanned combat aircraft alongside European missile systems.&nbsp;Boeing’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat and General Atomics’ YFQ-42A Dark Merlin are both being displayed in close proximity to missiles developed by MBDA, a move that industry sources suggest was a last-minute decision.&nbsp;The MQ-28 is positioned with the MBDA Meteor, &nbsp;an advanced, ramjet-powered beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM).&nbsp;The FQ-42A is positioned with the MBDA SPEAR missile, an air-launched cruise missile.MBDA is a prominent European multinational corporation headquartered just outside Paris, France.U.S. does not generally operate European-designed missiles. In fact, the relationship is usually the reverse, with European nations heavily relying on U.S.-supplied missile systems. But at the Farnborough Airshow, its U.S. UCAV's showcased with European missiles.&nbsp;Although seemingly a matter of exhibition layout, the positioning reflects a broader shift in defence strategy. As European nations rapidly expand military spending following the war in Ukraine and seek greater strategic autonomy, U.S. defence firms are increasingly looking to align their platforms with European weapon systems rather than relying solely on American munitions.&nbsp;The timing is significant. Across Europe, governments have repeatedly stressed the need to reduce dependence on U.S.-supplied defence equipment by investing in domestic capabilities. This has raised questions about the future dominance of American manufacturers in one of the world’s fastest-growing defence markets.&nbsp;Against this backdrop, the Farnborough displays suggest that American defence giants are adapting rather than resisting. By demonstrating compatibility with European missiles and encouraging modular integration, companies such as Boeing and General Atomics are positioning themselves to remain central players in Europe’s evolving defence architecture.&nbsp;The strategy also reflects changing procurement priorities. European governments increasingly favour platforms capable of integrating weapons from multiple suppliers, giving operators greater flexibility while strengthening local defence industries. For U.S. manufacturers, interoperability may prove to be the key to retaining access to European defence budgets worth hundreds of billions of euros over the coming decade.&nbsp;The juxtaposition of American unmanned aircraft with European missiles may therefore be more than an exhibition choice—it could be an indication of where the global defence market is heading. As Europe pursues greater defence sovereignty, American companies appear determined to ensure they remain part of that future, even if it means embracing European technology rather than competing directly against it.

At the Farnborough International Airshow, US defence giants Boeing and General Atomics showcased their next-generation unmanned combat aircraft alongside European missiles, signalling efforts to adapt to Europe's growing defence spending.

While political rhetoric continues to highlight tensions between Washington and Europe over defence spending, a different story is unfolding on the exhibition floor at the Farnborough International Airshow. Two of America’s leading defence companies—Boeing and General Atomics—have positioned some of their most advanced next-generation unmanned combat aircraft alongside European missile systems. Boeing’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat and General Atomics’ YFQ-42A Dark Merlin are both being displayed in close proximity to missiles developed by MBDA, a move that industry sources suggest was a last-minute decision. The MQ-28 is positioned with the MBDA Meteor, an advanced, ramjet-powered beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM). The FQ-42A is positioned with the MBDA SPEAR missile, an air-launched cruise missile. MBDA is a prominent European multinational corporation headquartered just outside Paris, France. U.S. does not generally operate European-designed missiles. In fact, the relationship is usually the reverse, with European nations heavily relying on U.S.-supplied missile systems. But at the Farnborough Airshow, its U.S. UCAV's showcased with European missiles. Although seemingly a matter of exhibition layout, the positioning reflects a broader shift in defence strategy. As European nations rapidly expand military spending following the war in Ukraine and seek greater strategic autonomy, U.S. defence firms are increasingly looking to align their platforms with European weapon systems rather than relying solely on American munitions. The timing is significant. Across Europe, governments have repeatedly stressed the need to reduce dependence on U.S.-supplied defence equipment by investing in domestic capabilities. This has raised questions about the future dominance of American manufacturers in one of the world’s fastest-growing defence markets. Against this backdrop, the Farnborough displays suggest that American defence giants are adapting rather than resisting. By demonstrating compatibility with European missiles and encouraging modular integration, companies such as Boeing and General Atomics are positioning themselves to remain central players in Europe’s evolving defence architecture. The strategy also reflects changing procurement priorities. European governments increasingly favour platforms capable of integrating weapons from multiple suppliers, giving operators greater flexibility while strengthening local defence industries. For U.S. manufacturers, interoperability may prove to be the key to retaining access to European defence budgets worth hundreds of billions of euros over the coming decade. The juxtaposition of American unmanned aircraft with European missiles may therefore be more than an exhibition choice—it could be an indication of where the global defence market is heading. As Europe pursues greater defence sovereignty, American companies appear determined to ensure they remain part of that future, even if it means embracing European technology rather than competing directly against it.

At the Farnborough International Airshow, US defence giants Boeing and General Atomics showcased their next-generation unmanned combat aircraft alongside European missiles, signalling efforts to adapt to Europe's growing defence spending.

At Farnborough, US defence giants quietly court Europe’s rearmament

Airbus&#39;s decision to cut production of the world&#39;s biggest passenger jet, the A380, will not drive the programme massively into the red, the European planemaker&#39;s group chief executive said on Wednesday. 
 
Tom Enders added that Airbus remains optimistic about the long-term prospects of the double-decker, 544-seat A380, and hopes to return to higher levels of output in the years ahead. 
 
&quot;I hope that this is only a year or two and then we can raise production rates again,&quot; he told reporters at the Farnborough Airshow. 
 
Enders was speaking a day after Airbus cut its target for A380 deliveries to 12 a year from 2018, from 27 in 2015 and well below its current break-even point, due to weak demand. 
 
The reduction deals a blow to one of Europe&#39;s biggest and most expensive industrial projects. 
 
Airbus and US rival Boeing have enjoyed years of booming sales, driven by rising air travel and demand for new fuel-efficient planes. 
 
But risks to the global economy, from slowing growth in China to Britain&#39;s decision to leave the European Union, have caused sales to dry up and analysts are worried some of the industry&#39;s record order backlog could be deferred or cancelled. 
 
So far at the Farnborough Airshow, the industry&#39;s showcase event, Airbus and Boeing have announced combined business worth a little more than $50 billion, including deals that confirmed preliminary agreements. That is less than half of the business closed at last year&#39;s sister event in Paris. 
 
Airbus shares dipped to 50.67 euros in early trading, but by 1200 GMT were up 0.8 per cent at 52.63 euros. 
 
Jefferies analysts said they had already been expecting the A380 to make a trading loss, before research and development costs, of 250 million euros in 2018, 300 million in 2019 and 350 million in 2020. 
 
They added the cut in production could be a prelude to a revamped A380neo, with new engines, to counter the new version of Boeing&#39;s most profitable widebody jet, the 777, being developed by the US company. 
 
Enders said Airbus would strive to break-even on the A380 at lower rates of production. 
 
&quot;How far we can bring it down, we will have to see,&quot; he said. &quot;I do not expect to be massively in the red.&quot; 
 
Each A380 is worth $432.6 million at list prices, but after discounts it would sell for significantly less. 
 
Sales of large four-engine airliners such as the A380 have been hit hard by improvements in the range and efficiency of smaller two-engined models, which can be easier to fill. 
 
The trend became starker on Monday when one of the mammoth plane&#39;s earliest advocates, Richard Branson&#39;s Virgin Atlantic, opted for 12 of Airbus&#39;s A350-1000 twin-engined jets after progressively shelving its long-standing order for A380s. 
 
In another blow, Airbus finance chief Harald Wilhelm said on Wednesday the company was likely to take a fresh charge in first-half results later this month for the latest problems involving its A400M military transporter. 
 
Problems that the company partially blames on the gearbox of the aircraft&#39;s large turboprop engines have disrupted deliveries of the already delayed military plane and driven up costs. 
 
Wilhelm, who gave no indication of the size of the potential charge, said there was also a risk of charges related to loss-making contracts for the A350 jetliner, but that these would not affect the aircraft&#39;s overall break-even target. 
 
(Reuters)

Airbus remains optimistic about the long-term prospects of the double-decker, 544-seat A380, and hopes to return to higher levels of output

Airbus's decision to cut production of the world's biggest passenger jet, the A380, will not drive the programme massively into the red, the European planemaker's group chief executive said on Wednesday. Tom Enders added that Airbus remains optimistic about the long-term prospects of the double-decker, 544-seat A380, and hopes to return to higher levels of output in the years ahead. "I hope that this is only a year or two and then we can raise production rates again," he told reporters at the Farnborough Airshow. Enders was speaking a day after Airbus cut its target for A380 deliveries to 12 a year from 2018, from 27 in 2015 and well below its current break-even point, due to weak demand. The reduction deals a blow to one of Europe's biggest and most expensive industrial projects. Airbus and US rival Boeing have enjoyed years of booming sales, driven by rising air travel and demand for new fuel-efficient planes. But risks to the global economy, from slowing growth in China to Britain's decision to leave the European Union, have caused sales to dry up and analysts are worried some of the industry's record order backlog could be deferred or cancelled. So far at the Farnborough Airshow, the industry's showcase event, Airbus and Boeing have announced combined business worth a little more than $50 billion, including deals that confirmed preliminary agreements. That is less than half of the business closed at last year's sister event in Paris. Airbus shares dipped to 50.67 euros in early trading, but by 1200 GMT were up 0.8 per cent at 52.63 euros. Jefferies analysts said they had already been expecting the A380 to make a trading loss, before research and development costs, of 250 million euros in 2018, 300 million in 2019 and 350 million in 2020. They added the cut in production could be a prelude to a revamped A380neo, with new engines, to counter the new version of Boeing's most profitable widebody jet, the 777, being developed by the US company. Enders said Airbus would strive to break-even on the A380 at lower rates of production. "How far we can bring it down, we will have to see," he said. "I do not expect to be massively in the red." Each A380 is worth $432.6 million at list prices, but after discounts it would sell for significantly less. Sales of large four-engine airliners such as the A380 have been hit hard by improvements in the range and efficiency of smaller two-engined models, which can be easier to fill. The trend became starker on Monday when one of the mammoth plane's earliest advocates, Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic, opted for 12 of Airbus's A350-1000 twin-engined jets after progressively shelving its long-standing order for A380s. In another blow, Airbus finance chief Harald Wilhelm said on Wednesday the company was likely to take a fresh charge in first-half results later this month for the latest problems involving its A400M military transporter. Problems that the company partially blames on the gearbox of the aircraft's large turboprop engines have disrupted deliveries of the already delayed military plane and driven up costs. Wilhelm, who gave no indication of the size of the potential charge, said there was also a risk of charges related to loss-making contracts for the A350 jetliner, but that these would not affect the aircraft's overall break-even target. (Reuters)

Airbus says output cut won't drive A380 massively into red