Gray Eagle ER programme marches on
A US Army MQ-1C Gray Eagle lands at Marine Corps Base Hawaii on 1 October 2021. (Photo: USMC/Sgt Branden Bourque)
General Atomics and US Army demonstrated the advanced data link capability of the Gray Eagle Extended Range UAS in a recent ground test.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) expects flight tests of its modernised MQ-1C Gray Eagle Extended Range (ER) UAS to take place in Q4 this year, after it successfully tested an advanced data link capability on the aircraft.
The joint US Army and GA-ASI ground demonstration in December 2021 showed the capability of the UAS ‘to maintain link [via Link 16] and support high bandwidth data rates with Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) Ku/Ka-band satellites and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) Ka-band satellites with common hardware and software’, GA-ASI noted in a 3 February statement.
As a result, the modernised Gray Eagle would be able to use multiple satellite constellations to support continuous operations in contested environments.
‘Extensive use of Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) principles, along with Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), made this capability possible,’ said Don Cattell, VP of army programmes at GA-ASI.
Shephard Defence Insight calculates that 111 Gray Eagle ER aircraft will be supplied to the US Army.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Uncrewed Vehicles
-
![Cummings Aerospace showcases Hellhound loitering munition designed for US Army’s LASSO programme (video)]()
Cummings Aerospace showcases Hellhound loitering munition designed for US Army’s LASSO programme (video)
Cummings Aerospace presented its turbojet-powered Hellhound loitering munition at SOF Week 2025, offering a man-portable solution aligned with the US Army’s LASSO requirements.
-
![SOF Week 2025: PDW unveils attritable FPV drone for SOF operations at scale]()
SOF Week 2025: PDW unveils attritable FPV drone for SOF operations at scale
PDW has revealed its Attritable Multirotor First Person View drone at SOF Week 2025, offering special operations forces a low-cost, rapidly deployable platform for strike and ISR missions, inspired by battlefield lessons from Ukraine.
-
![SOF Week 2025: Teledyne FLIR white paper provides guidance on reusable loitering munitions]()
SOF Week 2025: Teledyne FLIR white paper provides guidance on reusable loitering munitions
Teledyne FLIR is highlighting the emerging requirements for 'recoverable and re-usable' loitering munitions across the contemporary operating environment during this week’s SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida.
-
![SOF Week 2025: Kraken Technology group debuts K3 Scout USV in North America]()
SOF Week 2025: Kraken Technology group debuts K3 Scout USV in North America
High-performance maritime industry player Kraken Technology Group, based in the UK, has used the SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida this week to debut its K3 Scout uncrewed surface vessel (USV) to the North American market.
-
![Palladyne AI and Red Cat to demonstrate capabilities for autonomous drone swarms to the US military]()
Palladyne AI and Red Cat to demonstrate capabilities for autonomous drone swarms to the US military
Red Cat and Palladyne AI recently conducted a cross-platform collaborative flight involving three diverse heterogeneous drones.
-
![Jammer resistant drone designs spark search for countermeasures]()
Jammer resistant drone designs spark search for countermeasures
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has driven another stage of evolution for drones and the counter measures to defend against them.
