Create a free starter account, or log in.

Get access to four free articles per month, as well as our Decisive Edge Newsletters and Daily News Bulletin.

Email Address

Password

Forgot your password? Reset by clicking here

Create a Password

[[ req.met ? '✓' : '•' ]] [[ req.text ]]

Re-enter Password

Passwords do not match

First Name

Last Name

Country

Confirm your account

Please enter the four-digit pin below that has been emailed to you.

Didn't receive the pin yet?

This pin expires in 20 minutes.

[[ error ]]

By creating an account, you agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Stay informed with Shephard's award-winning journalism. Unlock unlimited access and in-depth analysis with a corporate or individual subscription.

Explore your options here

GA-ASI produces first EagleEye radar

27th August 2024 - 13:12 GMT | by Shephard News Team

RSS

The EagleEye multi-mode radar will allow operation outside the Weapons Effects Zones of most threat systems. (Photo: GA-ASI)

EagleEye will act as a “drop-in” radar upgrade for US UAS.

The first new EagleEye multi-mode radar came off the production line of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) at the end of June 2024. The high-performance radar delivers high-resolution, photographic-quality imagery through clouds, rain, dust, smoke and fog at several times the range of previous radars, its manufacturer claimed.

EagleEye will be used as a “drop-in” radar enhancement for the Gray Eagle Extended the initial configuration for the new Gray Eagle 25M (GE 25M) UAS. The Army National Guard initially ordered 12 of the Gray Eagle 25M units.

Shephard has forecast that an additional 12 units, 24 in total, will be required at minimum. In January 2023, retired Col. Mike Hadley, vice-president for government affairs for the Army National Guard Association, clarified that 12 units would be “just the start”, as only one Guard division would be equipped with Gray Eagle UAVs out of the “eight” that “urgently need them”.

Australian Army maintains interest in passive C-UAS radar

QinetiQ presents on-the-move capability with Obsidian C-UAS radar

Hadley’s hope in 2023 was that the National Guard would end up with an inventory of some 96 units (at a Shephard-projected cost of US$1,175.16 million) seems unlikely to be fulfilled at any time in the short-term future. The 24-unit configuration though, with its likely price tag of $167.88 million, might be possible in the short-to-medium-term future.

Earlier in 2024, GA-ASI announced the development of a new Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) antenna and associated software for EagleEye which will increase the radar’s range. Combined with optimised multi-mode performance, the platform will let the aircraft operate significantly outside the Weapons Effects Zone of most threat systems.

Gray Eagle 25M (13-20) [US National Guard]

Gray Eagle 25M (1-12) [US National Guard]