General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle

During that month, one Gray Eagle crashed in California when a faulty chip blocked commands to part of the aircraft's flight control surfaces.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.The upgraded centerline hardpoint supports integration of a 500-pound (227 kg) optional external fuel tank or 360 degree sensor payload.[21] In May 2015, BAE Systems was awarded an initial production contract to provide 12 Tactical Signals Intelligence Payload (TSP) sensors for the MQ-1C.[22] In June 2015, soldiers performed an initial test and evaluation for the One System Remote Video Terminal (OSRVT), enabling ground forces to control a Gray Eagle's payload.The OSRVT is a portable system consisting of a radio transceiver, laptop, antennas, and software to communicate with the UAV and receive video and other data from it.The aircraft can carry a payload of 800 pounds (360 kg) and may be armed with weapons such as AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and GBU-44/B Viper Strike guided bombs.[13] The empty weight is 1,318 kg (2,906 lb), endurance without the external tank is 45 hours, and engine can sustain an output of 180 hp (130 kW) continuously.[29] The Army's 1st Infantry Division's combat aviation brigade deployed to Iraq with developmental Gray Eagles in June 2010.[21] In July 2015, an unarmed Gray Eagle crashed in Iraq after a communications failure that was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve against the Islamic State.[36] In March 2017, US Army has begun the process to permanently station the MQ-1C Gray Eagle at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea.On March 3, 2020, an unused Hellfire missile was lying beside the crashed MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone, thus posing a threat according to Africamilitaryblog.com to U.S, French and Nigerien forces if it were to be recovered by the Islamic terror group operating in the country.[40] Reuters reported on 1 June 2022 that the Biden administration plans to sell four Gray Eagle drones to Ukraine, each capable of carrying up to 8 Hellfire missiles, "for battlefield use against Russia" in the current conflict.
160th SOAR (A)'s Echo Company pose with their new MQ-1Cs
Unmanned combat aerial vehicleManufacturerGeneral Atomics Aeronautical SystemsUnited States ArmyGeneral Atomics MQ-1 PredatorGeneral Atomics Mojavemedium-altitude, long-enduranceunmanned aircraft systemRQ-5 Hunterground control stationsAGM-114 HellfireUnited States Department of DefenseLycomingDEL-120AH-64E ApacheBAE SystemsSignals Intelligencegeo-locateMedium-Altitude Long-EnduranceThielertDiesel piston enginejet fuelsynthetic aperture radarground moving target indicatorGBU-44/B Viper Strikeguided bombsimprovised explosive devicesRaytheonJoint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat OrganizationC-12 HuronwingletsSIGINT1st Infantry DivisionRQ-7 Shadow160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)Operation Inherent Resolvethe Islamic StateKunsan Air BaseHellfire missileBiden administrationHellfire missilescurrent conflictCongressAIM-92 StingerSTARLite RadarGeneral Atomics MQ-9 ReaperGeneral Atomics AvengerBAE Systems MantisKronshtadt OrionTAI AnkaList of unmanned aerial vehiclesList of military aircraft of the United StatesWayback MachineReutersGeneral AtomicsRQ-1/MQ-1Avenger (Predator C)MojavePredatorReaper (Predator B)tri-serviceA-8/PQ-8