General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle

Lore & Background

The U.S. Army initiated the Extended-Range Multi-Purpose UAV competition in 2002, with the winning aircraft due to replace the RQ-5 Hunter. Two aircraft were entered, the IAI/Northrop Grumman Hunter II, and the Warrior. In August 2005, the Army announced the Warrior to be the winner and awarded a $214 million contract for system development and demonstration. The Army intended to procure eleven Warrior systems, each of these units having twelve UAVs and five ground control stations. With an expected total program cost of $1 billion, the aircraft was to enter service in 2009. The Army announced on 3 September 2010 that the integration of the AGM-114 Hellfire missile on the UAV had been so successful that 4 weaponized MQ-1Cs would be deployed to Afghanistan in late 2010.

In March 2011, Gray Eagles started showing poor reliability across all major subsystems. During that month, one Gray Eagle crashed in California when a faulty chip blocked commands to part of the aircraft's flight control surfaces. Flight testing was delayed until the chip was replaced but had left it with fewer available flight hours; the average time between failures of the aircraft or components was 25 hours, while the minimum required is 100 hours. The ground control station's time between failures was 27 hours, while the minimum time required is 150 hours. Sensors failed at 134 hours, compared to 250 hours required. In October 2011, a report concluded the Gray Eagle was meeting only four out of seven 'key performance parameters,' and its reliability fell short of predicted growth. 11 unplanned software revisions had generally improved reliability. Reliability problems were attributed mostly to software issues from newly installed sensors, which did not reappear once fixed. Initial focus was on expanding capability and achieving an availability rate of 80 percent, then addressing reliability.

The Army sought to have the Warrior designated MQ-12, but the United States Department of Defense allocated the designation MQ-1C instead. In August 2010, the US Army announced that the MQ-1C had officially been assigned the name Gray Eagle.

Reader's Guide

The Gray Eagle is notable as the U.S. Army's upgraded derivative of the MQ-1 Predator, developed to replace the RQ-5 Hunter. Its significance lies in its weaponization with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, first deployed to Afghanistan in late 2010, and its role in manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) with the AH-64E Apache attack helicopter, allowing remote control of the Gray Eagle's sensors and weapons from up to 70 miles away. The Improved Gray Eagle (IGE) variant, first flown on 27 July 2013, increased endurance by 23 hours over the Block I predecessor, with 50 percent greater fuel capacity and payload. The IGE demonstrated 45.3 and 36.7 continuous hour flights in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The Gray Eagle Extended Range (GE-ER) production variant first flew on 29 October 2016 and was delivered for operational testing in 2018. Despite early reliability issues—meeting only four of seven key performance parameters in 2011—the aircraft's capabilities expanded through software revisions and upgrades such as the Tactical Signals Intelligence Payload (TSP) sensor and the Networked Electronic Warfare, Remotely Operated (NERO) electronic attack system. The Gray Eagle's legacy includes enabling ground forces to control its payload via the One System Remote Video Terminal (OSRVT) and extending the reach of manned helicopters.

Did You Know?

• The Gray Eagle was originally designated Warrior and also called Sky Warrior and ERMP.
• The Army sought the designation MQ-12 but received MQ-1C instead.
• In March 2011, a Gray Eagle crashed in California due to a faulty chip blocking flight control commands.
• The Improved Gray Eagle flew for 45.3 continuous hours in October 2013 during an endurance demonstration.