General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle (Sky Warrior)

History

General Atomics' remote-controlled MQ-1C Sky Warrior/Grey Eagle is part of a growing armed UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) system deployed by the U.S. Army. Recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have finally provided the requirements and follow-on technology for such systems, and the U.S.

Army is actively working to procure UAV platforms for current and future theaters. The MQ-1C is an evolution of the legendary Predator drone series, a larger, more armed version of the former, but with enhanced capabilities of a new jet fuel-burning diesel engine.

As such, it is classified as a "hybrid" drone, which has flown more than 6,000 hours to date and has neutralized some 3,000 enemy insurgents throughout the Iraqi theater of operations.

The original Predator drone has been in service since 1995 and was primarily designed as an unarmed reconnaissance platform. Naturally, as the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq morphed into open warfare, the need for armed drones to patrol the air and expand this type of tactical role also grew. As early as 2001, tests against armed predators were generally successful.

General Atomics then launched the more powerful MQ-9 Reaper ("Predator B") as a private company, and this version was officially accepted and placed in the U.S. military inventory in 2007becoming the first model labeled "Hunter" "labeled drone. Killer capabilities. The new race sees increases in engine power, frame size and ammunition carrying capacity, resulting in a wider range of missions.

These systems can also use the same ground control facilities as the Predator A, which allows them to operate in a certain To a certain extent it has become an economic purchase.

Originally intended to use the new "MQ-12" designation chosen by the US Army, the new drone was given the Predator MQ-1C designation by the US Department of Defense. In U.S.

Army nomenclature, the "M" indicates the armed role of the drone, and the "Q" indicates that it is an unmanned aircraft system.

The Gray Eagle is still in the early stages of operational deployment, so it's only natural that some issues will arise. Issues such as poor returns from long-range video transmissions and unreliable radio communications have emerged, resulting in a mission success rate of only 54 percent, according to the U.S.

Army. There were also complaints about the layout and convenience of the ground control station itself, but the same early Gray Eagles have proven solid in their target identification and takeoff/landing capabilities.

July 5, 2013 - General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Poway, Calif., has received a contract modification valued at $110,261,703 for Grey Eagle product support and fleet maintenance in Afghanistan. The contract has a total face value of $354,683,431 and the contracting activity is Army Contracting Command, Red Rock, Alabama.

In August 2013, General Atomics announced that it had successfully tested an improved Grey Eagle (IGE) variant in July with a 100% increase in payload and increased endurance. Developed in-house by the company, this revised variant has a deeper fuselage for more internal gear and fuel storage. An optional fuel tank can be installed under the belly (500 lbs) to increase operating range beyond the standard fuel tank.

The IGE is powered by a Lycoming DEL-120 series diesel engine.

April 1, 2015 Announcement - General Atomics has received a US Army contract valued at $47. 7 million for full-rate production of Greyhawk ground equipment. Completion date is late July 2017.

March 2017 - U.S. military deploys Grey Eagles to South Korea, drawing the ire of neighboring China.

May 2018 - The modernization program for the U.S. Army's Gray Eagle fleet is expected to touch on nearly every aspect of the design to keep the platform operational in the near future. A key area for improvement will be the tandem motor, which has been an issue throughout the life of the product.

Specification

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